SPFL announce ‘record’ cup prize money as Celtic prepare for trophy defence

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The SPFL have announced this afternoon that there will be a ‘record’ prize pot for the 2022/23 Premier Sports Cup campaign.

Celtic have enjoyed great success in the league cup over the last few years, having won the competition five out of the last six seasons.

The same trophy arguably kick-started the Hoops season under Ange Postecoglou, as the 56-year-old delivered his first piece of silverware last December.

Several changes have been made to this year’s iteration of the competition. Those include the early format and the date of completion.

The group stages are set to begin at the start of July and no longer involve a regionalised draw.

Of course, the top five sides in the Scottish Premiership do not participate in the opening stage of the Premier Sports Cup due to their involvement in European fixtures.

With the Qatar World Cup taking place later this year, the competition, which typically finishes in late December, will also be completed at the end of February 2023.

Earlier today, the SPFL confirmed further changes to the League Cup, announcing a ‘record’ prize pot for clubs competing.

The eventual winners of the trophy will receive £350,000 from a £2.1 million prize pot, with all clubs involved taking home at least £22,000.

In addition, each club playing in a live televised game will also receive at least £17,000.

Reacting to these changes, SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “We are delighted to announce record prize money in this season’s Premier Sports Cup.

“Premier Sports have been fantastic supporters of our premier cup competition. Their investment into the Cup has allowed us to announce record prize money this season, and these funds will continue to support our clubs as they recover from the pandemic.

“With the first-round group stage kicking off on 9 July, we are very much looking forward to another year of passion, drama and excitement in this season’s Premier Sports Cup, live on Premier Sports.”

Although in the grand scheme of things, this money won’t mean too much to Celtic, with the club receiving upwards of £30 million in the Champions League, this finally appears to be a positive move by those working within Scottish Football.

Clubs across the country will be hoping they can go on a strong cup run, and pick up as much prize money as possible, which could potentially help fund another transfer the following season.

I am sure prize money isn’t something that will be on the mind of Ange Postecoglou and his players in any case, who will be looking to secure back-to-back Premier Sports cup trophies in 2023.

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