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Scotsman
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
SPFL competition to undergo major revamp with new trophy, sponsor, B teams and record prize pot
UEFA-style league format to be implemented from next season Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Scottish Challenge Cup, traditionally contested by lower league teams beneath the Premiership, has secured a new sponsor ahead of undergoing a major revamp next season. The competition previously labelled the SPFL Trust Trophy will now be known as the KDM Evolution Trophy after the Scottish Professional Football League agreed a multi-year deal with construction firm KDM Group. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A brand new trophy will also be up for grabs as well as a record prize pot of £1.25million - an increase of more than 50 per cent on this year - with the tournament winners pocketing £150,000. The SPFL has released the logo for the KDM Evolution Trophy, which will replace the SPFL Trust Trophy for next season. | SPFL Changes to the competition format were confirmed earlier this year which will feature an opening round league phase, inspired by UEFA's new club competition format, as well as the inclusion of Premiership B teams. The league phase will comprise 30 clubs made up of the 10 League One, 10 League Two and 10 Premiership B teams in a move geared towards providing more opportunities for younger players, with the age limit on participation reduced to 15-years-old. Clubs participating in the league phase of the competition will be split into three pots by division and regionalised into North and South sections, with points gained by clubs across six league phase matches fed into a single league table. The top 22 clubs will then qualify for the knock-out Round of 32, when Championship sides enter as seeded clubs alongside those finishing in the top six of the league phase. The remainder of the competition then follows a traditional knock-out format. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Livingston are the current cup holders, having defeated Queen's Park 5-0 in the final at Falkirk Stadium back in March. 'Positive news for all 42 clubs' Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPFL, said: 'We are really pleased to welcome KDM Group as the title sponsor for the KDM Evolution Trophy from season 2025/26, and to announce a significant rise in prize money for next season's competition. 'KDM Group is a highly-respected and well-established firm in Scotland, the UK and beyond, and have already demonstrated a passion for Scottish football. They have a proud history of supporting our national sport and this long-term deal is really positive news for all 42 member clubs. 'We're confident the new competition format will help develop some of our most promising players across the country. Allowing players to compete at a high level from the age of 15 will pay dividends for them, for their clubs and ultimately, for the national side." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Livingston won this season's SPFL Trust Trophy after defeating Queen's Park in the final. The competition has been rebranded to the KDM Evolution Trophy from next season. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group The inaugural KDM Evolution Trophy gets underway with the opening round of league phase fixtures on the midweek of Tuesday, August 12 and Wednesday, August 13. Iain Jones, Chief Executive of KDM Group, said: "We're incredibly proud to support the launch of this exciting new football competition and to see the KDM Evolution Trophy come to life. The name reflects the evolution of our business, from a small shopfitting company to a leading international brand. It mirrors the journey of this tournament and the aspiring players it supports. Our investment in football spans all levels of the game, from grassroots to the professional stage. 'Through our KDM Group Soccer Centres, we provide primary-aged schoolgirls access to the game whilst having fun, helping to grow the game from the ground up. We've previously been the official partner of the Scottish Cup and are proud sponsors of the Scotland Women's National Team & Dunfermline Athletic FC. This new tournament is another step forward, providing a platform for talent to grow and evolve, just as we have." Prize money breakdown The full breakdown of prize monies for the KDM Evolution Trophy is as follows: Winner - £150,000 Runner up - £100,000 Losing semi-finalists - £75,000 Losing quarter-finalists - £50,000 Round of 16 losers - £40,000 Round of 32 losers - £30,000
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Alarming trend' leads to Challenge Cup and loans changes
Scottish Premiership B teams will be included in a new Challenge Cup league format next season, while rules over loans for Scottish players between 16 and 21 will also be changed, in an attempt to tackle an "alarming trend of young players getting less and less game time".The new "Cooperation System" between the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League has been approved by clubs following consultation that followed the publication of the former's "Transition Report" last chief football officer Andy Gould and head of men's elite strategy Chris Docherty had sought to establish trends in successful player development from across the world in compiling their executive Ian Maxwell described it as "a significant step forward in enhancing first-team opportunities for the most talented young players in Scotland". He said the report "brought home not only the alarming trend of young players getting less and less game time" but also "included a series of practical solutions that have been proven to have worked in leagues across the world".Next season, there will be a greater flexibility to domestic loans quotas whereby players aged 16-21 eligible to represent Scotland national teams who join a lower-league club will be able to move between the two clubs throughout the season to increase playing there will be a change to the straight knock-out format to the Challenge Cup, currently called the SPFL Trust Trophy, which has featured Premiership B teams since details of the new "league phase format" have yet to be announced, but Maxwell said: "We look forward to seeing young Scottish players given a platform to fulfil their undoubted potential with greater opportunity."SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster hoped the changes would help others follow in the footsteps of Motherwell's Lennon Miller and Kilmarnock's David Watson, midfielders who have in recent seasons become first-team regulars with their Premiership clubs while in their teens."Our new Challenge Cup format will provide more opportunities for young Scottish players to progress than any previous competition set-up," he added.
