SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan said he was “reassured, but not complacent” following a major independent review into the governance of the league.
The three-month review was carried out by independent external auditors Henderson Loggie and involved detailed questionnaires and interviews with 15 stakeholders, including senior executive team members, non-executive directors, and other senior figures in the game.
Henderson Loggie were appointed in October 2023 by a sub-committee of the SPFL Board, chaired by SPFL independent non-executive director Karyn McCluskey.
The draft report, which the Board will now take time to consider, focused on three main areas:
- A review of SPFL corporate governance policies and procedures;
- A review of SPFL Board meetings to assist the Board’s effectiveness and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; and
- A review of SPFL internal control systems to ensure they are effective and are mitigating risks to the organisation.
In its overall conclusion, Henderson Loggie found that the SPFL demonstrates compliance with significant elements of the UK Code of Corporate Governance, where it is applicable. Henderson Loggie found that the SPFL is strong in terms of commercial expertise and knowledge, with a diverse range of skills available to provide support and challenge to the SPFL executive team.
SPFL independent chairman, Murdoch MacLennan said: “This has been an extremely valuable and constructive exercise, and I am grateful to Karyn McCluskey and the 15 participants for their considerable time and effort in helping to produce such a comprehensive and detailed draft report.
“Having reviewed the draft report in detail, I am reassured but not complacent. Henderson Loggie have made a number of recommendations to further strengthen SPFL governance. We will now take time to consider Henderson Loggie’s detailed recommendations before bringing suggested changes back to the 42 SPFL Member Clubs for their consideration."
Mr MacLennan added: “It’s important to note that Henderson Loggie used the UK Code of Corporate Governance as a basis for its activity, against which we were judged.
“Despite the fact that the SPFL remains a small and highly focused organisation with just 13 full-time employees, it was agreed, given the scale of operations of the SPFL and the status of the organisation, that adherence to the general principles of good governance described in the UK Code of Corporate Governance were an appropriate and proportionate benchmark in this instance.
“Whilst a number of the recommendations from the draft report are already being addressed, the Board and the wider organisation will, of course, take all necessary steps to improve further on the excellent work which has been undertaken to date.”
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