The space on the jersey fronts of the world’s top football teams "is valuable real estate," according to Jack Bell of the N.Y. TIMES. At Raith Rovers, "a modest team in the second division of the Scottish Professional Football League, a confluence of history and opportunity will see the website of the crime novelist Val McDermid displayed on the players’ white home jerseys 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, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. That means fans in Scotland and in certain TV markets around the world "will see the address of McDermid’s website." Raith Commercial Dir Tom Morgan said, "Three huge teams in the Championship and a new TV deal make for a unique season in Scottish football. Our shirt sponsor fell out and we approached Val, and she was up for it" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/9).
