New Sponsor Of The Challenge Cup

Forfar Athletic will be playing in the Petrofac Training Cup next season after Petrofac Training Services was today named as the new title sponsor of the SPFL’s challenge cup tournament. Find out much more in this announcement, issued today…

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) today (Tuesday 1st July) announce that they have reached agreement with Petrofac Training Services, a leading offshore oil and gas training provider, to become the new title sponsor of its challenge cup competition.

Newly branded as the Petrofac Training Cup, it will feature clubs from the Scottish Championship, Scottish League 1 and Scottish League 2 as well Brora Rangers from the Highland League and Spartans from the Lowland League as champions of their respective divisions.

Petrofac Training Services will benefit from extensive rights which will allow it to create exciting opportunities to further increase its brand awareness to thousands of fans during a bright new era for Scottish football.

Petrofac Training Services is based in Aberdeen, with a global reach to Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Part of Petrofac, the international oilfield services provider, it is a market leader in providing safety, survival and emergency response training courses for those wanting to join the fast-growing offshore industry, as well as offering an unrivalled range of courses for experienced oil and gas personnel.

Its training centres in Aberdeen and Montrose have been delivering essential offshore skills for more than 30 years – including the Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) course, which is mandatory for anyone wishing to work offshore. This course covers a variety of fundamental skills for working offshore in oil and gas, including helicopter safety and escape, emergency first aid, sea survival, firefighting and lifeboat training.

Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive welcomed Petrofac Training Services as the governing body’s first “new” sponsor since the league’s creation last year. He said:

“We are delighted to announce Petrofac Training Services as the title sponsor of the challenge cup competition. They are a new investor in the sport and come to Scottish football at an exciting time.

“We are looking forward to working with Petrofac Training Services to promote the Petrofac Training Cup – a competition that promises to deliver drama and excitement in the coming season.”

Laurence Milne, Head of Business Development at Petrofac Training Services highlighted a clear synergy with football. He added:

“Petrofac Training Services is very proud to be making this announcement with the SPFL today. We see a clear link between us in our shared commitment to excellence – if you want to be the best, whether on the field or offshore, you have to train with the best.

“We are thrilled to be putting our name to the Petrofac Training Cup in 2014, when it looks set to be the most exciting competition for years. We already train delegates from all over Scotland and we’re looking forward to working with clubs, supporters, the media and wider stakeholders to promote the Cup, while highlighting the role that training can play in opening doors to an exciting career in the offshore oil and gas industry.

“We’ll be playing our part to make this a season to remember in the Petrofac Training Cup.”

The draw for the first round of the Petrofac Training Cup will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) at Easter Road Stadium. The draw at this stage is regionalised with ties scheduled for Saturday 26th or Sunday 27th July.

Rangers’ tie will be postponed as a result of Glasgow 2014 and will be re-scheduled for an alternative date to be confirmed by the SPFL.