Scotland: 14,315 jobs supported & £820m generated by national professional football in 2023-24

Scottish professional football - men’s and women’s clubs - contributed £820m (€945m) in gross value added (GVA) to the national economy and supported 14,315 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs during the 2023-24 season, according to a study by the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, SCO), commissioned by the Scottish FA, the SPFL and the SWPL, and published on 19/01/2026.

Excluding the economic impact generated by spectator spending at Scottish stadiums, national professional football contributed £545m (€628m) in GVA and supported 9,245 FTE jobs.

Among the other key figures highlighted by the study:
• total turnover of Scottish professional football reached £426m in 2023-24;
• Scottish professional football accounts for 20% of direct GVA in the country’s sports and recreation sector;
• 6.8 million spectators attended professional football matches organised in Scotland during the 2023-24 season.

By way of comparison, a similar study by the Fraser of Allander Institute relating to the 2017-18 season had identified an economic impact on Scotland’s GDP of…