What's In A Name?

Money is tight in football these days and clubs must consider all avenues to raise funds. The Supporters Trust group at Stirling Albion who are currently trying to buy the club from elderly Chairman Peter McKenzie have been investigating many fund raising ideas. Their spokesperson, Paul Goodwin, announced at the weekend that they were in discussion with ‘comparethemarket.com’ about a groundbreaking sponsorship deal. For a payment of £50,000 per season, the price comparison website would see the club name changed to Stirling Albion Meerkats.

No, it isn’t April 1st. Apparently the idea really has been floated. The SFA have been quick to respond saying that they will make a ruling outlawing such changes because they ‘damage the integrity of football’.

It’s an interesting response and typical of the sort of knee-jerk reactions that have come out of the SFA in recent times. One would have hoped that they would have learned from ill-judged soundbytes when further reflection would be more appropriate.

The naming of football clubs after commercial ventures is nothing new. The Heart of Midlothian may be a novel by Sir Walter Scott and a cobbled mosaic in the centre of Edinburgh but the football club was named after the Heart of Midlothian Dance Hall. It’s where the players used to meet up and may well be the first example of sponsorship in Scottish football.

In Aberdeen Junior football the prominent clubs include Lewis United and Hall Russell United. Both were the works teams of shipbuilding and engineering yards and bear the company names. In the 1970s the SFA were happy to allow Ferranti Thistle to compete in the Scottish Cup – it was the Scottish Football League that insisted they change their name to Meadowbank Thistle.

In other countries commercial interests have their title in club names. PSV Eindhoven and Bayer Leverkusen are prominent examples, but Central and Eastern Europe have many more instances. Artmedia Bratislava anyone? Red Bull Salzburg?

If naming clubs after their sponsors in ok in these places, why should it be outlawed in Scotland? Football is in no position to turn down lucrative sponsorship. The obvious answer to the problem is for clubs to be allowed to add the name of their sponsor to their official title, but not to replace their name entirely. Stirling Albion Meerkats would be fine. Meerkat Manor FC would not.

From the perspective of the sponsor, such name changes certainly achieve their purpose. Every football fans has heard of Total Network Solutions although they may not be exactly sure what they do. Re-naming of stadia is less successful in terms of publicity. In Scotland, who knows where the Intelligent Finance Stadium was? Or the First To Finance Stadium? Or even the wonderful Rainbow Taxis Stadium?

The SFA’s stance reeks of double standards. It’s ok to re-name the Scottish Cup in return for financial game. The Scottish Cup Final, sponsored as the Active Nation Scottish Cup, may go ahead with two teams running about with booze adverts on their jerseys. And that damages the integrity of the game?

If the SFA’s point is that clubs should not be able to improve their playing potential through lucrative sponsorship then we might as well go back to the 1880s and become Amateurs. Clubs must be allowed to maximise their revenue sources. And if, in so doing, they can secure new income streams that allow them to reduce admission prices, then that would surely be good for the game.

Stirling Albion supporters might have their reservations about becoming meerkats. But they will have even bigger reservations about their club going out of existence. Surely that is more of a threat to the integrity of the game than anything?