The St.James Park signage is no more
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The iconic St. James Park signage has been removed from the stadium to be replaced with the branding for Owner Mike Ashleys company Sports Direct
The iconic St. James' Park signage has been removed from the stadium known by that name for more than a century, to be replaced with the branding for Owner Mike Ashley's company Sports Direct.
!["sjp]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6887280119_24b8960c48.jpg")
picture © Gareth Johnson/Michael Marriner Photography
The controversial move angered many fans at the time, as they took to social networking sites to vent their frustration.
Steve Wraith from Toontalk Fanzine spoke to us then:
As did former Mags' midfielder Rob Lee's also been chatting to us:
Newcastle City Council have since tabled a motion asking the press and media to ignore the club's wishes and call the stadium St James' Park
Here's the full statement the club put out at the time:
The board are committed to generating additional commercial revenue from advertising and sponsorship opportunities. The original naming rights proposal, launched in November 2009, invited sponsors to link their brand to St. James’ Park, but this did not prove commercially attractive.
As such, the club will now seek a sponsor who will be granted full naming rights. Until such time the stadium will be renamed the Sports Direct Arena.
Managing Director, Derek Llambias, said:
"Our aim for Newcastle United is to continue to deliver success for the fans and everyone associated with the Club. We must make this Club financially self-sufficient in order to deliver that success.
"To grow sustainably and allow us to invest in our future, we will need to rely increasingly heavily on commercial income. These are very difficult economic times and the board have a responsibility to maximise all revenue streams for the benefit of the Club. Stadium rebranding offers a lucrative way for clubs to secure significant additional income.
"When we initially launched our plans at the end of 2009, we invited sponsors to attach their brand to that of St. James’ Park. However it has become clear that in order to make the proposition as commercially attractive as possible, a potential sponsor must be given the opportunity to fully rebrand the stadium.
"Naming the stadium the Sports Direct Arena helps up to showcase the opportunity to interested parties. We are now actively seeking a long-term sponsor wishing to acquire full naming rights for the stadium.
"Our shirt sponsorship deal with Northern Rock will also expire at the end of this season, which presents would-be sponsors with the opportunity to acquire both the
