Stadium Updates (All Clubs)

[A N Mouse]

If you've seen some of the meeting notes from the council that span over the last couple of years, the long-term plan is to buy some of the houses/businesses on Emmet Road in order to redevelop the ground. I've heard some people say that to make it work they'd have to rotate the pitch 90 degrees but there isn't any actual clarity on that nor when it'll actually come to pass, if at all, but maybe that explains some of the walls being gone already.

Whatever they're doing now seems to be some makeshift idea for the time being, will be interesting to see how it plays out as it's not clearly obvious going off of yesterday. As always they're limited with what you can do to Richmond but it feels like every little helps at this stage. Noticed a screen had gone up over on the gantry at the Camac as well.

Philosophizer posted article back in September that mentioned council buying up property, by compulsory purchase if necessary. Sounded good, but timescales seemed off, especially with compulsory purchase being mentioned, as according to that we should have seen planning proposal already.

https://dublininquirer.com/2023/07/0...d-its-stadium/

But stands to reason they own enough to get on with something 'temporary'. We all know how that one goes

[Jack B]

Philosophizer posted article back in September that mentioned council buying up property, by compulsory purchase if necessary. Sounded good, but timescales seemed off, especially with compulsory purchase being mentioned, as according to that we should have seen planning proposal already.

https://dublininquirer.com/2023/07/0...d-its-stadium/

But stands to reason they own enough to get on with something 'temporary'. We all know how that one goes

The process seems to be painstakingly long. The last update I'm aware of was back in September at a council meeting where updates were still being sought beyond "the CPO'ing is at a preliminary stage".

[EatYerGreens]

The process seems to be painstakingly long. The last update I'm aware of was back in September at a council meeting where updates were still being sought beyond "the CPO'ing is at a preliminary stage".

The rate of property price growth in Dublin is higher than inflation, and seems unlikely to slow down any time soon. So the longer they tale to CPO the properties, the more expensive it will be to do so in both real and relative terms. So they really should get on with it asap.

[2 Year Contract]

United Park
O2 Park
Hunky Dorys Park
Head In The Game Park
Weavers Park
Sullivan and Lambe Park

Quite the mouthful, should’ve just gone with Lambe Park and they might’ve pulled in a few extra families mistaking it for a petting zoo

https://droghedaunited.ie/sullivanlambe/

[Nesta99]

I dont think those kind of sponosrship names make any difference to the sponsor, Im not going looking for who they are. Different if its a growing brand as Hunky Dorys were, 02 back when mobile ownership was booming. Still mone is money!

[Eminence Grise]

Just be grateful it isn't a Southend Utd situation, when the club sold the naming rights to one of its stands to a local estate agent, Gilbert & Rose.

The Gilbert & Rose West Stand wasn't quite the success they'd expected!

[2 Year Contract]

Bolton Wanderers’ stadium currently being named The Toughsheet Community Stadium is another one. If their fans don’t like the name… well that’s just tough sheet

[pineapple stu]

There has to be some sort of diminishing marginal returns in stadium rebrands surely?

The first name will stick. The second - ok, it'll be used. But when you get to a fifth sponsored name, are people going to start ignoring them?

(I think in America, every second new name change ends up being a new stadium just to emphasise the name more)

[Cosmo]

There has to be some sort of diminishing marginal returns in stadium rebrands surely?

The first name will stick. The second - ok, it'll be used. But when you get to a fifth sponsored name, are people going to start ignoring them?

(I think in America, every second new name change ends up being a new stadium just to emphasise the name more)

Not sure - but some companies obviously keep seeing the value in it. Its only a positive that businesses are willing to put sponsorship money into the club (a good local one too). Long may it continue!

[Another Bohemia]

There has to be some sort of diminishing marginal returns in stadium rebrands surely?

The first name will stick. The second - ok, it'll be used. But when you get to a fifth sponsored name, are people going to start ignoring them?

(I think in America, every second new name change ends up being a new stadium just to emphasise the name more)

Well one example I can think of is the point. It originally changed to the O2 arena and is now the 3 arena (not due to new sponsorship now but O2 pulling out of the Irish market and 3 taking their place) but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call it the O2 since it changed. On the america point I know the Denver broncos stadium has has a few name changes and the same can be said for the Seahawks stadium in Seattle.

Lastly the value in these naming rights isn't Joe Blogs saying I'm going to Hunky Dory Park/Head in the game park/ whatever the new name is. It's actually in the announcements around the event. Local media will say Drogheda are playing Bohs in whatever the current name is and obviously the higher profile the event the more lucrative the naming rights. Just think about the Taylor Swift gig at the Aviva stadium. It's almost always mentioned where the event is because it's necessary information and is now being used as covert brand advertising

[pateen]

Some mention of new works planned for Markets field, cant rem where i read it.

Anyone on here know anything?

[EalingGreen]

There has to be some sort of diminishing marginal returns in stadium rebrands surely?

The first name will stick. The second - ok, it'll be used. But when you get to a fifth sponsored name, are people going to start ignoring them?

Middlesbrough built one of the first big, new stadia in England after the Taylor Report. During construction, they asked the fans what it should be called and they chose "The Riverside Stadium".

But when it was opened, the club agreed a sponsorship renaming it the Cellnet Riverside Stadium, later the BT Cellnet Stadium, but these never caught on and it reverted to the Riverside after the initial spponsorship deal ended, a few years later. They've never managed to attract new sponsors since.

Which is why eg, you will never see any reference to White Hart Lane at Spurs' new stadium, even though it's on the site of the old Lane, and they failed to get the nearby White Hart Lane rail station renamed. Instead they simply call it "The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium", while waiting to get a new, long term sponsor on a 20 or 25 year contract.

[EatYerGreens]

Not sure - but some companies obviously keep seeing the value in it.

I suspect it's more that they just don't understand marketing. There are of course exceptions (e.g. Aviva), but generally you don't see many big companies sponsoring stadia - even though they have the money to. That's either because they feel they don't need to, or they think it's a waste of money (or possibly both).

[EalingGreen]

There are of course exceptions (e.g. Aviva), but generally you don't see many big companies sponsoring stadia - even though they have the money to.

Really?.

It's enormous business in the US, with massive companies paying over gazillions to sponsor sports and other entertainment venues. While as this article shows, even in 2021 it was coming over to Europe, especially with German football stadia, but also in Italy and England:
https://stadiumdb.com/news/2021/01/t...opean_football

Of course such companies concentrate on stadia belonging to big, successful clubs, but the only thing holding them back in England, at least, is where a stadium has iconic status like eg Anfield or Old Trafford, meaning a sponsor's name may not "stick". And even that can be overcome eg:
"Twickenham is to be renamed Allianz Stadium from September after the Rugby Football Union (RFU) signed a long-term deal with the insurance company - stadium sponsorship is eighth for insurance giant, including Allianz Arena in Munich, Allianz Parque in São Paulo and multi-purpose venue in Sydney."

And see what happens eg should Man U move to a new stadium, or when Everton move into Bramley Moor Docks (assuming they're still in the PL).

Meanwhile, the only reason Spurs haven't sold out to a stadium sponsor so far, is because they're targeting a huge, global "name", such as Nike or Netflix etc, with talk of either a 20 year deal at £25m a year, or 25 years at £20m (can't remember which) = £0.5bn! (Juventus took nearly 6 years after the opening of their new stadium before attracting Allianz)

Not that such names or figures have much relevance to football stadia in Ireland, North or South, at least so long as they remain in the state they're in!

[Straightstory]

United Park
O2 Park
Hunky Dorys Park
Head In The Game Park
Weavers Park
Sullivan and Lambe Park

Quite the mouthful, should’ve just gone with Lambe Park and they might’ve pulled in a few extra families mistaking it for a petting zoo

https://droghedaunited.ie/sullivanlambe/

Nobody - I mean absolutely nobody - is ever going to call it that.

[2 Year Contract]

Nobody - I mean absolutely nobody - is ever going to call it that.

As Another Bohemia mentioned above, the sponsored name will be used on radio, TV, newspapers and on official club/league/FAI social media accounts. I agree though that the vast majority of supporters, including myself, won’t use the sponsored name (I say vast majority because I did see a few fans of various clubs use the name Weavers Park during their sponsorship)

[pineapple stu]

Well one example I can think of is the point. It originally changed to the O2 arena and is now the 3 arena (not due to new sponsorship now but O2 pulling out of the Irish market and 3 taking their place) but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call it the O2 since it changed. On the america point I know the Denver broncos stadium has has a few name changes and the same can be said for the Seahawks stadium in Seattle.

Lastly the value in these naming rights isn't Joe Blogs saying I'm going to Hunky Dory Park/Head in the game park/ whatever the new name is. It's actually in the announcements around the event. Local media will say Drogheda are playing Bohs in whatever the current name is and obviously the higher profile the event the more lucrative the naming rights. Just think about the Taylor Swift gig at the Aviva stadium. It's almost always mentioned where the event is because it's necessary information and is now being used as covert brand advertising

I get that - though obviously this isn't the Aviva or the 2.3 Arena, and it's a fifth name in about ten years, not a long-standing name. It's also much smaller scale in terms of exposure. Is it even worth the money being put in? Is there another way someone interested in getting involved with the club could put money in?

I just dislike stadium sponsorship in general - you end up with a bland, meaningless, confusing set of ground names that change every few years. It's boring, and it takes away a small part of a club's and even a league's culture and identity.

[nr637]

Some mention of new works planned for Markets field, cant rem where i read it.

Anyone on here know anything?

Maybe considering installing new terracing behind the goal at the West bank end or maybe on the popular side!

[Nesta99]

I get that - though obviously this isn't the Aviva or the 2.3 Arena, and it's a fifth name in about ten years, not a long-standing name. It's also much smaller scale in terms of exposure. Is it even worth the money being put in? Is there another way someone interested in getting involved with the club could put money in?

I just dislike stadium sponsorship in general - you end up with a bland, meaningless, confusing set of ground names that change every few years. It's boring, and it takes away a small part of a club's and even a league's culture and identity.

Allianz have managed that just on their own!! In a time that Oriel Park wont only interest companies that deal in rustic charm, I could see and accept a name adjustment on Oriel, if the money is worth it - Sony have a number of business connections with the locality so PS6 Oriel Park on an nice new ground for a 2027/28 Irish launch

I still use Lansdowne Rd. At this stage though United Park isnt automatically known as home of DUFC though that could change back with the current name just being too much so fans revert. Still think sponsorships are not working properly when nobody has a notion what it is nor care (betting sponsors' controversy and publicity do in their own way), when not just a way that some local business can give a few Euro to a club.

[Nesta99]

Maybe considering installing new terracing behind the goal at the West bank end or maybe on the popular side!

Irish West Bank developments could be interestingly reported in Israeli media....