GLF 69: Should we sell the stadium name?
REALRADIOFIRPARK
Well what do we make of this proposed sponsorship deal with Real Radio to rename FirPark with the name of the Radio Station?
Firstly on the actual name change, I am not sure I would be too fussed if the ground was to be officially called "RealRadioFirPark" as I am sure we would all just continue to call it FirPark anyway.
There have been a number of grounds that have carried a sponsors name, like my English side Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.It was initially known as the Cellnet Riverside Stadium but as you may have guess the fans still called it the Riverside!
Secondly, if the sum of £300,000 was for real I don't think it was too bad a sum of money.The only thing I didn't see in any of the press reports was the length of the proposed sponsorship, as I guess £300k over five years probably isn't a good deal, but over one year it is excellent.
It was also interesting to hear the fans reaction to John Boyle turning the deal down and praising the club for not accepting the deal.The information I have heard tells me it was the club who made the first approach to Real Radio and not the other way round.
Therefore Boyle may have turned this down initially but there does seem to be a feeling in the club that the ground name is there to be sold. I would guess that this will happen eventually, if not at the current FirPark maybe at our new stadium on Ravenscraig, a move Boyle has already alluded to at the last AGM.
Thirdly, do we want to be sponsored by Real Radio in particular?I know that they do cover most of our games, with Mark Benstead in particular covering us in a positive light.But having said that some of the comments from Ewan Cameron on the phone-in show would make me feel I would rather keep them at arms length for the moment.
Therefore in conclusion I don't feel there is any issue with stadium sponsorship, but it has to be at the right price and with the right company.
Graham Barnstaple
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