MG ALBA to Sponsor Challenge Cup 2009

MG ALBA has confirmed that it is to continue its sponsorship of the Scottish Football League Challenge Cup for the 2009 competition.
 
The tournament, now in its 19th year, will again be known as the ALBA Challenge Cup and will see live televised coverage of one semi-final and the final on BBC ALBA. BBC ALBA is a partnership between MG ALBA and the BBC.
 
Alasdair Morrison, Chairman of MG ALBA, welcomed the announcement saying “We are delighted to enter into this agreement again with the Scottish Football League which will enable BBC ALBA to offer viewers national coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup. Working with a national partner such as the Scottish Football League supports our objective of promoting Gaelic at national and community level. Televised coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup will also bring football at that level to new audiences who rarely see their teams on television.”
 
Speaking on behalf of the Scottish Football League, Chief Executive David Longmuir said, “We are delighted to welcome MG ALBA as the title sponsor once again of the Challenge Cup. Our aim has always been to improve the coverage and profile of the Challenge Cup and to increase the awareness of the true community spirit attached to the competition. The partnership links the community aims of both organisations and provides live coverage of two very important games in the competition.”
 
MNE Media will be responsible for providing the coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup as part of a comprehensive package of programming which they provide to BBC ALBA. Managing Director of MNE Media, Allan MacDonald, said, “Co-operation like this between broadcasters, production companies and sports bodies is good news for the broadcast industry in Scotland and for viewers and sports fans. I am pleased that MNE Media is involved in covering these football games at a time of great opportunity for the production industry, allowing us to record and broadcast more sports coverage than ever before.”