End of an era at St. James'

Newcastle United’s hierarchy have once again angered their faithful support after announcing that, with immediate effect, St. James’ Park will be renamed the Sports Direct Arena.

According to The Times, Newcastle’s managing director, Derek Llambias is hoping that any potential deal could bring in between £8million and £10million every year. Newcastle are believed to want to use this money to re-invest in the squad, a notion that will be taken with a pinch of salt, considering Alan Pardew’s perceived lack of financial backing in the summer, especially in his search for a new striker.

In a statement, Derek Llambias explained; "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.
"Stadium rebranding offers a lucrative way for clubs to secure significant additional income."

After 119 years the powers that be at Newcastle have made the decision to attempt to pull in a great deal more revenue for the club. The new name is only a temporary measure as the club searches for a more lucrative sponsorship deal in the coming months as they search for a deal which will combine both naming rights to the stadium and shirt sponsorship. Their current deal with Northern Rock expires in the summer.

The move was forthcoming after Mike Ashely, owner and founder of Sports Direct, announced in 2009 that he would change the name of the stadium to sportsdirect.com@StJames’ParkStadium. This will prove no consolation for Newcastle fans already angered by the owners for their handling of the club who have a great association with the stadium and it’s name. However, with Newcastle sitting an unlikely third in the Premiership, if the move can ensure extra funds and keep Newcastle competing at the top of the table, you can be sure that the Magpies’ faithful will quickly get over the news.