Sports Direct Arena [Archive] - hibs.net Messageboard

danhibees1875

09-11-2011, 11:06 PM

greenlex

09-11-2011, 11:11 PM

Newcastle have sold the naming rights to their ground, St James' Park is now 'known' as Sports Direct Arena.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15668207.stm

Hibs should look into this :agree:

We would obviously get nowhere near the £££ that Newcastle will get out of the deal, but what is the harm? The fans will still always know it as Easter Road - it would only effect the odd mention on sportscene and your panini sticker album.

We should be looking into as many avenues as possible to generate extra cash for a new manager to throw about buying in the best that league 2 has to offer. :agree:

Not sure The Farmer Autocare Arena works either to be honest.

iwasthere1972

09-11-2011, 11:14 PM

Newcastle have sold the naming rights to their ground, St James' Park is now 'known' as Sports Direct Arena.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15668207.stm

Hibs should look into this :agree:

We would obviously get nowhere near the £££ that Newcastle will get out of the deal, but what is the harm? The fans will still always know it as Easter Road - it would only effect the odd mention on sportscene and your panini sticker album.

We should be looking into as many avenues as possible to generate extra cash for a new manager to throw about buying in the best that league 2 has to offer. :agree:

No harm and definitely should be looked into. As you say, it will always be Easter Road as far as the fans are concerned but if it brought in some additional money which I would hope was spent on improving the team then why not.

I would like Carlsberg to get involved and we rename it "If Carlsberg Built Stadiums" Stadium.

danhibees1875

09-11-2011, 11:16 PM

Not sure The Farmer Autocare Arena works either to be honest.

Doesn't have to be STF funded.

7up arena? :greengrin

iwasthere1972

09-11-2011, 11:20 PM

Shame that Hearts have beat us to "The City of Edinburgh Council Stadium" :devil:

Viva_Palmeiras

10-11-2011, 12:56 AM

Was one of the questions in the recent questionnaire.

hibsbollah

10-11-2011, 12:01 PM

Barton got it right...Ashley knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

magpie1892

10-11-2011, 12:06 PM

Barton got it right...Ashley knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

Spoken with a few people in the north east about this and most of them are quite sanguine about the name change because it won't stick one iota and no-one will pay £££ to try. If we moved to a new build, then fair enough, but it's St James' Park and will so remain.

ScottB

10-11-2011, 12:08 PM

Ultimately, why not, the fans will still call it St James Park regardless, only the media will use the new name.

For that reason I'm surprised companies bother doing this except with brand new stadiums, such as the Emirates, as the old, much loved name will remain in use.

hibsbollah

10-11-2011, 12:09 PM

magpie1892

10-11-2011, 12:17 PM

Funny...every geordie i know is raging about it. I was just about to make the contrast between the relaxed stance of most Hibs fans i know about selling our naming rights and the hysteria on Tyneside.

I'm not happy, and neither are the three people I sit next to @ SJP, but there's definitely a feeling that trying to name SJP something else is not going to catch on or make the club any money. The name has no intrinsic (cash) value whatsoever.

green&left

10-11-2011, 12:19 PM

Show's how far (bad) football has become when fans are prepared to sell off 100+ years of history for a few quid. While we're at it we may aswell go down the whole MLS route and change our name to the Apple Tango Elite FC, hey ho we'd still be known as Hibs to the fans...

Dunno if there is any truth in it but what I've read is they are playing the 'Sports Direct' jingle (Do they even have a 'jingle') when Newcastle score...?

***** MODERN FOOTBALL

Baldy Foghorn

10-11-2011, 12:23 PM

The club already asked about potentially renaming the ground in a recent questionnaire......

If it changes and makes the club money then so be it, however, it will always be Easter Road to me.....

magpie1892

10-11-2011, 12:25 PM

Dunno if there is any truth in it but what I've read is they are playing the 'Sports Direct' jingle (Do they even have a 'jingle') when Newcastle score...?

Up to and including Saturday past, there's no music after goals. Thank ****.

Ringothedog

10-11-2011, 01:06 PM

I am glad NUFC are changing the name of their stadium, I have always associated St James Park with Exeter City. :wink: and it confused me.

Baader

10-11-2011, 02:35 PM

Some horrendous examples of this: The Bargain Booze Stadium (Witton Albion's old ground name) KitKat Crescent (York City's old one) and FC Dallas' Pizza Hut Park.

Hate how greedy and corporate football has become.

Wonder who'll be the first club here to change their name.. KFC FC anyone?

Gettin' Auld

10-11-2011, 02:44 PM

Lofarl

10-11-2011, 03:57 PM

There is a bonnie fitba team
at The Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer Stadium they play
I go along to see them every other Saturday

Keith_M

10-11-2011, 04:20 PM

There is a bonnie fitba team
at The Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer Stadium they play
I go along to see them every other Saturday

Is it just me or is that actually quite catchy?

:greengrin

StevieC

10-11-2011, 05:28 PM

I'm not happy, and neither are the three people I sit next to @ SJP

Most of the guys I travel to St James' with are fuming about it.

18 months ago he threatened to rename it "Sports Direct @ St James' Park" .. there was immediate uproar and it was plastered all over the papers for a couple of weeks.

Here we are now and he suggests "Sports Direct Arena" .. cue outrage and stories about it in the papers and on Sky Sports (I even heard it on Radio 2 this morning!).

I'm starting to think it's just an excellent marketing ploy to get "Sports Direct" in the papers every year or so. :wink:

heretoday

10-11-2011, 05:57 PM

"Gannin' doon the Sports Direct ta see the Pardew Aces......"

IWasThere2016

10-11-2011, 05:59 PM

SC - does it really matter? Your team are flying - so now might be the best time for the change??? :dunno:

StevieC

10-11-2011, 07:20 PM

SC - does it really matter? Your team are flying - so now might be the best time for the change??? :dunno:

Newcastle supporters are VERY passionate about their team, traditions and history. The North East is hugely different to the more commercial friendly areas further south. At the moment there's no need for a change .. and if you asked the supporters whetehr they would prefer to keep the name or have an additional £10m player at the club .. they certainly wouldn't be fussed for the player.

However, the Ashley Sports Direct Arena certainly has it's advantages ..

"Alreet pet, am just nippin oot to ASDA .. might be a while, so divn't wait up" :wink:

IWasThere2016

10-11-2011, 08:43 PM

Newcastle supporters are VERY passionate about their team, traditions and history. The North East is hugely different to the more commercial friendly areas further south. At the moment there's no need for a change .. and if you asked the supporters whetehr they would prefer to keep the name or have an additional £10m player at the club .. they certainly wouldn't be fussed for the player.

However, the Ashley Sports Direct Arena certainly has it's advantages ..

"Alreet pet, am just nippin oot to ASDA .. might be a while, so divn't wait up" :wink:

Oh, for the Hibs to have such a deal!

Great ASDA line :greengrin

hibbycha

10-11-2011, 09:08 PM

mackems are saying call it looney (tunes)toons arena :faf:

Irish_Steve

10-11-2011, 09:18 PM

mackems are saying call it looney (tunes)toons arena :faf:

As opposed to the Stadium of Sh*te??

heretoday

10-11-2011, 09:57 PM

Newcastle supporters are VERY passionate about their team, traditions and history. The North East is hugely different to the more commercial friendly areas further south. At the moment there's no need for a change .. and if you asked the supporters whetehr they would prefer to keep the name or have an additional £10m player at the club .. they certainly wouldn't be fussed for the player.

However, the Ashley Sports Direct Arena certainly has it's advantages ..

"Alreet pet, am just nippin oot to ASDA .. might be a while, so divn't wait up" :wink:

Newcastle is the only place where I have seen entire families parading about the centre ALL wearing strips. And not even up-to-date strips at that. Sometimes hideous orangey ones from four years ago. They are all over the Costas too.

I've not seen fanaticism like that even in Liverpool. I've never been to Barcelona, mind.

Jones28

10-11-2011, 10:43 PM

Personally I hate the idea of corporate names for stadiums. Even if it is just a name there's something not right about Easter Road not being called Easter Road in the papers or the news or match programmes.

Long Live Easter Road, Long Live the Green :flag:

kano

10-11-2011, 11:00 PM

Newcastle is the only place where I have seen entire families parading about the centre ALL wearing strips. And not even up-to-date strips at that. Sometimes hideous orangey ones from four years ago. They are all over the Costas too.

I've not seen fanaticism like that even in Liverpool. I've never been to Barcelona, mind.

You never been to Glasgow Airport?

magpie1892

11-11-2011, 12:11 AM

Most of the guys I travel to St James' with are fuming about it.

18 months ago he threatened to rename it "Sports Direct @ St James' Park" .. there was immediate uproar and it was plastered all over the papers for a couple of weeks.

Here we are now and he suggests "Sports Direct Arena" .. cue outrage and stories about it in the papers and on Sky Sports (I even heard it on Radio 2 this morning!).

I'm starting to think it's just an excellent marketing ploy to get "Sports Direct" in the papers every year or so. :wink:

Steve,

It's never going to stick, no-one will pay eight figures for something that would damage their brand; it'll blow over.

JH

Pete

11-11-2011, 01:52 AM

Steve,

It's never going to stick, no-one will pay eight figures for something that would damage their brand; it'll blow over.

JH

I'm not sure about the St. James Park naming rights damaging any brand at all.

The fact that Newcastle fans are so protective of their heritage would work in the companies favour. Their name would be plastered everywhere and the short term pain would be outweighed by the long term gain. This wouldn't be bad publicity for the company involved. The guy who would take the most flak is Mike Ashley. He would have to offset this flak against the money he has brought in.

It's crazy selling naming rights for an established stadium but the beauty is that everyone involved in the deal knows this. The fans will still call it St James . The only people calling it the sports direct arena, or any other company, will be the official club outlets and the media once the money is involved and contracts have been signed.

I think this is genius from Ashley. He wins, the club win, the company investing also win because they are going to be heavily name-dropped as this is a first. The only hard done by lot are the fans but are they really? They're still going to be calling it St James park long after Mike Ashley is gone.

The guy is a winner...I certainly wouldn't worry if hibs were under his stewardship.

Hibernia Na Eir

11-11-2011, 06:04 AM

wonder if they'll sell 10 pairs o sports socks for £2 from the new stadium ;)

StevieC

11-11-2011, 08:13 AM

The guy is a winner...I certainly wouldn't worry if hibs were under his stewardship.

He's made a lot of mistakes along the way and alienated a lot of fans. Heart often rules the head and if he didn't have the cash to fix the mistakes we might have been in trouble.

All seems to be coming good now though so it's a question of how he performs to keep a good run going.

wonder if they'll sell 10 pairs o sports socks for £2 from the new stadium ;)

It's football supporters .. so they'll get fleeced with 5 pairs for £20!