Scottish Championship side Raith sign new shirt deal ahead of Rangers clash

Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers will see the website of the crime novelist Val McDermid displayed on the players’ white home shirts this season. McDermid’s connection is partly personal: She is a lifelong supporter of the club. But she also knows that this is not just any season in the Scottish Championship.

Raith’s league opponents this year will include three of the best-known clubs in Scotland: Rangers, Hearts and Hibs. That means fans in Scotland and in certain television markets around the world will see the address of McDermid’s website starting Saturday, when Raith opens the season with a league game against visiting Dumbarton at Stark’s Park

McDermid is the daughter of one of Raith Rovers’ revered scouts, and she is a board member who can watch matches from a grandstand named for her family.

“Three huge teams in the Championship and a new TV deal make for a unique season in Scottish football,” said Tom Morgan, Raith’s commercial director. “Our shirt sponsor fell out and we approached Val, and she was up for it.”

McDermid, who grew up in Kirkcaldy, is in many ways a perfect fit. She is the daughter of one of Raith’s revered scouts, and is a board member who can watch matches from a grandstand named for her family. She said she paid a reasonable price — “in the low five figures” — to put her web address on the jerseys.

McDermid has written 28 novels that have been translated into 40 languages.

“My Chinese publisher keeps buying books, and I believe they now will be able to see Rovers games there this year,” she said.

JB