Newcastle stadium reverts to St James' Park in sponsorship deal

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St James's Park

Newcastle's stadium name will revert to St James' Park after the Premier League club agreed a four-year sponsorship deal with a loan company.

Wonga will become the club's main shirt sponsor from next season, replacing Virgin Money, and will also invest £1.5m in the club's academy.

The firm also purchased the stadium naming rights and decided on a return to the traditional name.

The stadium had been called the Sports Direct Arena since November 2011.

"We listened over the last three days and we saw what really matters to the fans," a Wonga spokesman said.

"Football is an emotional sport and it is obviously really important to them.

"We listened to what they wanted and that is why we did it."

Prior to the announcement, Football Association general secretary Alex Horne expressed some concern that the deal was with a loan company.

He told BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast: "We are talking to the leagues about it, but on the one hand it's a legislative issue. If these companies are charging the wrong rates of interest then legislation should help us out. The leagues have clear rules about certain inappropriate advertising for children.

"We are talking to the leagues on Friday about it. If you consider it as in the category of things that are inappropriate for children like gambling and alcohol, it feels like it is in that category to me."

Ian Lavery, MP for Wansbeck, is a season ticket holder at Newcastle but has said he will now not set foot in the stadium.

"A city like Newcastle and the region should not have any ties with an organisation like Wonga," he said.

"This business makes profits off the back of deprived people who are desperate and who are the most vulnerable in society."

Mark Jensen, editor of Newcastle fanzine The Mag, said he believes the renaming could have been done to deflect criticism from the club.

"It's a clever move and clearly has been done in part to deflect some of the criticism of the business they have agreed the sponsorship with," he said.

"The fans will be over the moon that the name will be back to what it's always been, but there will be mixed emotions on the subject as it's a sad indictment of today's society that a company like that is doing so well."

Wonga sponsors two other British football clubs. It has deals with Scottish Premier League side Hearts and Championship team Blackpool.

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  • Wonga have decided to change the stadium back to its traditional name to offset their reputation for being brutal legalised official loan sharks.

    For any of you listening here, don't take any notice of their 'comical' adverts and do not go to pay day lenders for funding. Live within your means. These people are sharks and they will be taking everything you have if you're not careful.

  • I don't think anyone really cares. Even after it was renamed the Sports direct arena everyone still referred to it as St James Park because of its history. If Anfield or Old Trafford was renamed by a company people would still call it old trafford or anfield. Mind you anfield could be renamed the aquadrome the way suarez carries on

  • it will always be the Sports Direct Arena to me

  • "Wonga will become the club's main shirt sponsor from next season, replacing Virgin Money, and will also invest £1.5m in the club's academy." I hope Newcastle don't have to pay this £1.5m back. With their interest rates they'd end up having to pay back over £50m nearly. If Earl saw those figures he'd have a heart attack given his age

  • Love it, the majority of Sunderland fans paying for Newcastle's sponsorship........

  • Everybody saying Wonga are such bad sponsor's, the FA suggesting that they are an inappropriate sponsor.

    Well let's look at the Barclays Premier League - sponsored by an organisation that was recently fined for illegally fixing interest rates....

  • Sums up the complete lack of class with Newcastle United FC

    "Struggling to pay for your season ticket"? "Why not take out a payday loan with Wonga" ? Only 4000% apr

  • Should have called it the Wongadome

  • It's just indicative of the kind of society we live in. It's a shame on us all that these kind of companies exist, let alone get so big that they can afford multi-million pound sponsorship deals on the back of poverty, let's face it, their customers can't afford it.

  • Sad day for the Toon.

    APR of more than 4000 percent?

    Should name the ground St James's Shark.

  • For all of those talking morals, perhaps we could turn our attention to multi-national sports wear manufacturers and their employment practises in certain parts of the world......

  • 'Sports Direct Arena' was a stupid name, even as a Manchester United Supporter, I am pleased to hear that the Geordies got there beloved 'St James Park' name back again!
    As my granny would've said 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'!

  • is it any dfferent to the multitude of teams that are sponsored by gambling companies (Villa, Fulham, Real Madrid).

    Like it or not, football fans are amongst the key demographic for firms like Wonga. The naming rights issue is that for the whole 4 years? I doubt it just like when St James was changed to the Sports Direct Arena once the initial anti Mike Ashley quietened down.

  • Hmmmmm ! Ethics and Sponsorship deals - that's a thorny one !
    How about Sunderland and 'Invest In Africa' ?
    Invest In Africa is a front for Tullow Oil - widely accused of exploitation of workers in Africa.
    Liverpool and 'Rogue Institution' (thanks to it's Iranian money laundering) Standard Chartered ?
    Any of the online gambling and bingo sites that sponsor teams ?
    It's all a bit murky really.

  • Most advertising and sponsorship comes from Alcohol, Gambling and now high cost lenders. Whatever next claims companies?
    Just about sums up thr UK.
    We will lend you money
    Oh, we charge 4000%+ APR
    Never be able to pay it back
    Go elsewhere? nobdy will touch you with a bargepole.
    Ah well, somebody else's problem now.

    Not a great acronym, see if you can do better.

  • A Premier League Club now being sponsored by loan sharks, says it all really. Companies such as wonga should not be given advertising space and to be honest should be shut down as they are a scurge on society

  • Seems rather appropriate, even if wholly repugnent, that a compnay who charges highlty inflated interest rates is sponoring within a sport whose players are paid highly inflated wages.
    I think decency and appropriatness in football went out the window long ago, so for NUFC to stirke a deal with Wonga is in keeping with how football, at this level, continues to set a poor example!

  • After many months of discussion regarding the deal with Wonga, our own ethics committee (Ant & Dec, Tony Blair & Sting) found it was in the best interests of the club to go ahead with the deal.

    Yours sincerely

    Mike Ashley

  • As an NUFC supporter I am appalled that the club has stooped to the depths by agreeing to a sponsorship deal with this kind of company. I hope fans do the right thing and boycott all NUFC replica kit bearing the Wonga logo. Having said that is it any worse than having on-line betting firms as sonsors?

  • #73
    I think a lot of people are basing their judgement of Newcastle on 'Geordie Shore'.

    I've seen a bit of it; i'm suprised the people on that show haven't been lynched yet as that's how a LOT of people think everyone is.

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