Scotland Euro 2020 qualification can be 'transformative' - Ian Maxwell
- Published
Scotland's epic shootout win over Serbia sent them through to Euro 2020
The "bonus" of Euro 2020 qualification can have a "transformative impact" on the Scottish Football Association's finances, says its chief executive.
The governing body will receive 9.25m euros (£1.82m) prize money from Uefa after Scotland ended a 23-year men's major tournament exile.
Having taken out a £5m loan last month, the Scottish FA faced a £4.5m shortfall that could lead to redundancies.
"It's a difficult time and we need to make the best of it," said Ian Maxwell.
"It is going to be very welcome.
"It's not just this money specifically. If qualifying for tournaments gets us back to the previous level of supporter numbers, that has a transformational impact on our game.
"Budgeting for success on the pitch in football is very difficult and something you shouldn't really do. So we need to deal with this as a bonus and what that's going to mean over the next five to 10 years.
"It's about increasing engagement, sponsorship, commercial activities. And a real transformational element of this will be if we can get Hampden full for the World Cup qualifiers next season, then the Nations League the next year.
"If we start to get sellout crowds then all the money we get in as the Scottish FA goes back out through the clubs or grassroots game."
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound, Maxwell was guarded on whether the cash injection will nullify the prospect of job losses at the national association.
"We have a process that's ongoing and have staff involved in that, so it would be inappropriate to comment too much," he added.
Maxwell did, however, confirm that further tickets will be available - providing Covid-19 restrictions have eased - for the Euro 2020 Group D game against England at Wembley on 18 June next year.
"We'll understand from Uefa over the next week or so what allocation the Scottish FA will receive and how we're going to distribute that," he added.
"We have a very strong Tartan Army and membership scheme and a lot of those guys will be at the head of the queue. We'll get as many tickets as we can out to the public."
Life After Reality TV: Love Island and basketball star Ovie Soko
The Rap Game UK: The artists face their first challenge
