Club Sign Deal With Italian Sports Manufacturer

Championship football club, Bolton Wanderers, has announced that it will change the name of its home ground to the Macron Stadium from July 2014.

The club moved to the 28,000 capacity ground from Burnden Park 17 years ago and since then it has been known as the Reebok Stadium.

The new four year deal will see the sportswear manufacturer Macron become the naming rights partner for the stadium as well as the club’s kit provider.

Phil Gartside, chairman at Bolton Wanderers said: "We have been very impressed with their passion for football and their ideas to grow our partnership."

Driven partly by Financial Fair Play rules which are due be introduced into the Championship this season, more clubs are exploring the opportunities for increasing turnover through the sale of stadium naming rights. Earlier this season, for example, Derby County signed a £7m deal with drinks company iPro which saw it change the name of its ground from Pride Park Stadium to the iPro Stadium.

Expert Opinion

Football clubs are seeking to maximise their revenue streams, particularly in the light of the introduction of UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations which places financial requirements on a club to comply with, or risk withheld payments or exclusion from competitions. An increasingly popular route is the sale of stadia naming rights. Sponsors looking to maximise brand awareness and revenue see the link between their brand and high profile football teams as an attractive proposition. This is particularly important with businesses who have yet to establish a significant foothold into a market and wish to challenge more well-known competitors, as seen by the success of Emirates decision to sponsor Arsenal's ground. <br/> <br/>"As with any commercial deal the success of the agreement is not only in the financial benefit, but the detail negotiated into the agreement. With the huge costs involved, sponsors are more demanding in what benefits they obtain including the positioning of the name / logo inside and outside the stadium and require exclusivity within the sector to maximise exposure. <br/> <br/>"Brand protection is key, including providing for remedies for any significant negative publicity relating to the club or the brand which could have a knock on effect. Clubs need to ensure that the agreements are flexible and meet their own commercial drivers. For example, payment terms need to be structured to meet the clubs needs - with Emirates, Arsenal had an upfront payment to fund the stadium build. The structure should also provide for additional payments on being promoted or winning a major competition or the league as this will increase the value of the sponsorship. A huge challenge faced by clubs is also the opposition of fans especially with the name of a historic ground." <br/> Sarah Riding - Partner