As part of the campaign to attract people of Scots descent to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, the Scottish Football Tournament is to be rebranded as "The Homecoming Scottish Cup." To this aim, the Scottish Government and former Celtic director Willie Haughey have announced a £2million sponsorship deal with the SFA (Scottish Football Association).
Over the next two years, the Glasgow-based City Refrigeration owned by Willie Haughey is going to sponsor Scotland's most prestigious domestic cup, while handing the branding rights to the Government. This comes after brewer Tennent's ended their 18-year backing in 2007 to instead provide funding for the national team.
The competition will be aiming to promote good citizenship and healthy living. As stated by SFA president George Peat, "If we can use the magic of the cup to promote our country internationally and to encourage people to live better, healthier lives, then we will be doing something really special."
According to the the First Minister Mr Salmond: "Four million people across 40 countries watched the Scottish Cup last year and this year they will all be invited to be a part of our year of Homecoming," thus turning a domestic competition into a "national sporting success."
Scotland's Homecoming celebrations will take place from January 25th (Burns Night), on, to November 30th (St Andrew's Day) 2009, including a range of events, such as Burns 250th anniversary weekend and Highland Games extravaganza in Edinburgh.
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