Re-naming grounds

[Kinoulton]

This is a hideous money-grabbing excercise which is running through football like wildfire and will (in my opinion) soon affect rugby.

St James' Park, which has been associated with Newcastle United for 120 years is now to become the SportsDirect Arena.

How bl**dy depressing is that?

Yes, they will get £10m per year, which they will spend on a Paraguayan striker or someone, and he'll have a miserable season and b*gger off back to Paraguay after 12 months, but the name will have been lost forever.

[DickyP]

The only consolation I get from this that however much people want us to call things by new names whether it happens is apparently pure chance.

Must be quite galling, for instance, to King Power that the crisp bowl is still universally known as the Walker Stadium (even on occasion by TV commentators).

How many fans, as opposed to the club officials, don't still call the Holland & Barrett the Crumbie?

[Kinoulton]

It's bad enough that newsreaders and sports correspondents have to refer to "The Seagrams Grand national" or "The FA Cup sponsored by Eon".

But to completely wipe out the name of something as iconic as St James' Park is upsetting.

[Hull Fan]

I agree Kinny, Hull KR have just renamed their ground to reflect sponsorship. It does seem to be something that's spreading through sport, lots of the RL teams have sponsorship names of stadia.
Probably only a matter of time before it reaches RU. Predict once Sarries have a ground it will soon be labelled by something SA.

[Old Hob]

Remember the Bristol Shoguns and Pertemps Bees? It has already happened to clubs never mind stadia.

[hww27]

As an exiled Geordie, I think Floody's tweet sums up my feeling on the matter and probably quite a lot of people's feelings on the matter.

'Quite simply it will always be st James's park...... Just when things we picking up mike Ashley goes and does it again!'

What that waste of space Ashley fails to realise is that he is not making himself popular and that everyone will carry on calling it St James' Park anyway....

[Kinoulton]

I hope so, but the media seem to be under a stranglehold and invariably stick to the new sponsor's name and not the traditional name.

[tigerburnie]

Is there a game called football then,didn't know Newcastle had a team.....................

[me2]

Probably only a matter of time before it reaches RU. Predict once Sarries have a ground it will soon be labelled by something SA.

It already has happened in RU. You just need to look beyond the top tier of English rugby to see examples.

Cambridge RFC play at Volac Park, formerly Wests Renault Park (originally Grantchester Road)

And as others have already pointed out...Bristol Shoguns, Leeds Carnegie, Pertemps Bees, Ealing Trailfinders etc.


In Super Rugby, sponsored grounds are very common!
CocaCola Park (Ellis Park), ABSA Stadium (Kings Park), Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), AMI Stadium/Jade Stadium (Lancaster Park), Westpac Stadium, AAMI Stadium, nib Stadium (Perth Oval).