Scottish football contributes more than £800million every year, a study by Fraser of Allander Institute has found.

Taking into account both club and national men's and women's games, including fan spending for the 2023/24 season, the sport generated £820million.

Even excluding fan spending, football's direct economic contribution stood at £545million.

Those figures mean Scottish football supports the equivalent of 9,245 full-time jobs – or 14,315 when matchday spending is included.

The research, which the BBC reports was commissioned by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) and the Scottish Football Association (SFA), also noted attendances at professional matches involving Scottish teams totalled almost 7million.

The extensive study analysed the impact of football in terms of the day-to-day economic activity of clubs and spending by match-going fans.

Dons fans flooded the city centre to welcome home their Scottish Cup-winning heroes.

Dons fans flooded the city centre to welcome home their Scottish Cup-winning heroes.

Club accounts, revenues, operational spending, and case studies also factored in the research.

Researchers used a wider economic model to then estimate the ripple effect for the economy in sectors such as hospitality and transport.

The findings indicate the total turnover of the Scottish football sector during season 2023/24 was £426million.

Neil Doncaster, group chief executive of the SPFL, said: "This new research underlines the hugely significant economic contribution of our clubs and fans right across the country."

In May, businesses in Aberdeen city centre enjoyed a huge boost in trade when 100,000 Dons fans flooded the streets to celebrate their team's historic Scottish Cup success.

Aberdeen FC have also repeatedly highlighted the economic benefits a new stadium at the beach would bring to the city, with research from Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce's own Research Chamber among the experts supporting this.

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