‘Don’t like it, it’s Toughsheet’: Bolton announce new stadium sponsor
The managing director of Bolton’s new stadium sponsors says he hopes its dash of “schoolboy humour” will tie television pundits in knots when its name-change comes into effect this summer.
The naming rights deal with a Bolton-based recyclable building product manufacturer ensures the League One promotion hopefuls will be playing at the Toughsheet Community Stadium for the next five years.
Which football clubs have had news organisations as their shirt sponsors?
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“We’re happy to have a bit of fun with it,” Doug Mercer told the Bolton News. “Obviously the brand name is a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit schoolboy humour.
“But I can’t wait to see them try and make each other say it on Sky Sports, it’ll be a great laugh!”
Bolton say the partnership with the company, based in nearby Westhoughton, represents the largest sponsorship deal in the club’s history.
But how it will go down with fans remains to be seen. Many have already taken to social media to express misgivings only to concede: if we don’t like it, it’s Toughsheet.
Unlike Bolton, Southend United showed less self-awareness last summer when they renamed a part of their stadium after one of their sponsors, Gilbert & Rose, leading to a reference to one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers.
Unfortunately the estate agents’ name adorned the west side of Roots Hall, leading to the Gilbert & Rose West Stand. The juxtaposition of Gilbert & Rose with West Stand inadvertently saw Rose and West appear next to each other on season ticket cards and the National League club’s website.
One Southend fan, Paul Napper, wrote on Twitter: “Only Southend United could have a sponsor for the West Stand called Gilbert & Rose, inevitably leading to the Gilbert & Rose West Stand.”
More innocent is the Dripping Pan, in Sussex, where non-league Lewes play. The name’s origins are uncertain but possibly came from a medieval salt pan that linked to the nearby priory where there was also a cricket club.
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York City displayed their sweet side when they announced Bootham Crescent was being renamed the KitKat Crescent, a deal with Nestlé that lasted from 2005 to 2010. On the other end of the spectrum to York’s 8,200 capacity, proof that no one is immune to a sponsor’s chequebook: Barcelona’s ground – capacity 99,000 - is officially called the Spotify Camp Nou.
In rugby league, two names jump out: The Mend-a-Hose Jungle is Castleford Tigers’ stadium while the Totally Wicked Stadium has been St Helens’ ground since 2012.
No matter the sport, it’s all in the name.