Newcastle Ground Renamed 'Sports Direct Arena'

The home ground of the Newcastle United football team is to be renamed after its owner's budget retailer, Sports Direct.

Owner Mike Ashley made the decision to replace the historic stadium's 119 years as St Jame's Park in order to "showcase" sponsorship of the ground's name to interested parties.

In 2009, the club had considered allowing sponsors to link their brand to the St James' Park title but that idea is now replaced by the offer to purchase full naming rights.

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.

“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.

“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.

Mr Llambias said that the team's 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 naming rights and shirt sponsorship deals.

The move is expected to shock the club’s fans, coming after a period of relative stability for United.

(DW)