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The Scottish Premier League has appointed a new director of

marketing with a brief to target prestige sponsors and youth

development.

Stewart Thomson, 37, joins from the Sports Business and replaces Paul

Blanchard, who becomes head of marketing at Southampton FC. A key area

for the new recruit will be the development of ’elite sponsors’ to join

Bank of Scotland, McDonald’s, Panini and Mitre in backing the Scottish

Premier League.

Thomson said: ’Football is my real passion and it’s an extremely

exciting time to join the SPL. The league has become an integral part of

the sporting and social fabric of Scotland.’