SPL handouts and cash breakdown

The SPL have today handed out almost £1m to it's member clubs with an £80,000 cheque arriving before Santa calls, or the tax man, Vat man or bank man.

Every penny counts in these difficult times but there are probably 30 or more players in the Premiership picking up that sort of sum on a weekly basis.

Accompanying the announcement there was an interesting breakdown of costs involved with the SPL and how they divide up their income.

The SPL pays out £1.7m a year to the SFL which was agreed when they broke away and includes parachute payments.

No amount is given for parachute payments but it's unlikely to be anywhere near the £1m guaranteed to clubs for playing in the SPL.

Once the costs and deductions are made 48% of the remaining 'profit' is spread evenly across all clubs with the remaining 52% given out based on league positions.

There are no direct payments for televised games with all of the money going in the pot for distribution.

With Celtic and Rangers appearing in 90% of the live televised matches, of which 90% are away from home there is no bonus or benefit paid to either club with the cash pooled.

This could be seen as unfair but an extra £500,000 to either club is hardly going to make much difference whilst £50,000 could cover the salary of a first team player at most clubs or go a long way to maintaining a youth programme.

SPL statement