AKCJ Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24930477 Derby County: Pride Park to be renamed the iPro Stadium Derby County are to rename Pride Park the iPro Stadium in a 10-year sponsorship deal worth £7m. The Rams claim the deal with the new sports drink company is the biggest of its kind in Football League history. Chief executive Sam Rush told BBC Radio Derby: "We are all aiming to take this club to the Premier League and to do that we need significant revenue to invest in the club and playing staff." The rebranding becomes official when Blackpool visit on 7 December. Rush added: "When I arrived at Derby in January I made it part of my strategy to identify all lines of revenue and the opportunity to drive revenue through stadium rights is significant, so that is the major driver. "We are not aware of a bigger deal in the Football League - certainly not with an independent party. There have been some connected transactions with ownership groups and such things, but this an independent transaction." Derby moved to Pride Park from their Baseball Ground home in 1997 and the name has remained since then. Rush defended the change and said supporters had been consulted. "Over the last 10 months we have talked about this with supporters extensively," Rush said. "We have done a lot of tours and generally people have been supportive. "People will have their views but I hope fans will be supportive and understand why we have done it.
Fox92 Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Not a big issue. Many grounds are 'branded', just look our ourselves, and as with most grounds I imagine fans will still know it as Pride Park.
Tinman Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Not a big issue. Many grounds are 'branded', just look our ourselves, and as with most grounds I imagine fans will still know it as Pride Park. Agree. Its just easy money.
Bayfox Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Not a big issue. Many grounds are 'branded', just look our ourselves, and as with most grounds I imagine fans will still know it as Pride Park. big issue. now I like that as a ground. Maybe apt for cov!!!
Corky Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Don't need a name change of the ground to make revenue. They could sell Will Hughes for at least £120 million plus add-ons.
Harry - LCFC Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Not the worst thing to happen in recent times but still feels wrong. More unwanted corporatisation of the game.
AKCJ Posted 13 November 2013 Author Posted 13 November 2013 To be fair, it's a result of FFP. Clubs are looking for new ways to increase money going into the club.
Libertine Dream Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Sounds like an iPhone app A mate sent me a text just staying 'ipro stadium', first thing I did was go on the AppStore to download it
Stadt Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Hahaha, our stadium has a slightly cringey name but 'iPro' lol
DennisNedry Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Hopefully it'll be a similar situation to when St James Park was renamed i.e. everybody ignores the change.
ScouseFox Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 Hopefully it'll be a similar situation to when St James Park was renamed i.e. everybody ignores the change. My dad still calls our ground Filbert Street. Nobody normal will call it anything other than Pride Park. Just be on all media an stuff, which is what they want anyway. Nobody really loses out here, always a mystery to me why people get so upset.
ADK Posted 13 November 2013 Posted 13 November 2013 At least they have an agreed name for the stadium. Nobody called Filbo the "city business stadium" or w/e it was officially named. Our new ground lacks even a common name.
Clearupred Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 How ur lot can take the piss out of a name change is astonishing
Maybes Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 How ur lot can take the piss out of a name change is astonishing
I am Rod Hull Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 How ur lot can take the piss out of a name change is astonishing iCan do what iLike...
Fox92 Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 How ur lot can take the piss out of a name change is astonishing This is true. Got to say, I don't think we all are. As I said at the top of the thread, it's not a massive issue, and it's a regular thing in football these days. I'll still call your ground Pride Park, as I'm sure most people will.
Kitchandro Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 Pride Park is a bit gay but iPro Stadium sounds awful.
Jimothy Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 I don't have a problem with new stadiums having sponsor names, and once they have one, I don't really see an issue with it changing. Walkers/King Power, Emirates, KC etc are fine by me. Previously named stadiums like Old Trafford, Anfield, City Ground, St James' Park and to a lesser extent the likes of Pride Park and St Mary's, I do have a bit of an issue with it. Why? I don't know I can't really rationalise it, but I just think once a stadium has a non sponsored name it should be kept, but if it sells it's soul from the start then so be it, the damage is done.
Bugg Posted 14 November 2013 Posted 14 November 2013 A shit stadium name to suit the rest of the city
.thumb.jpeg.636f7cfdcdfcd1be724208c5191ec7a8.jpeg)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.