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Newcastle United and Virgin Money agree a new £20m shirt sponsorship deal

 

Newcastle United have agreed a two-year deal for Virgin Money to become the club’s new shirt sponsor which could be worth as much as £20million.

 

 

 

 

 

VirginMoney_2100132b.jpg

 

Demba Ba, who opened the scoring against Manchester United, wears the new shirt sponsor Photo: GETTY IMAGES

 

 

 

 

By Luke Edwards

8:22PM GMT 04 Jan 2012

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The deal brings to an end weeks of negotiations between the club and Virgin after Richard Branson agreed to buy out the stricken Newcastle-based bank Northern Rock.

 

Negotiations were only concluded late on Tuesday night as Virgin belatedly agreed to meet Newcastle’s demands, which led to frantic race to get the team’s shirt emblazoned with the new logo before Wednesday’s night game against Manchester United.

 

Northern Rock had sponsored Newcastle’s shirt for the last eight seasons, but were officially taken over by Virgin on January 1st and so were unable to fulfil the terms of their sponsorship agreement which was due to expire at the end of this season.

 

Virgin will take over the terms of the existing Northern Rock deal, but have also decided to commit for the next two seasons.

 

Virgin have agreed to extend that deal by another year and have offered the first 10,000 supporters who bring their shirts to the club shop a free replacement logo to cover the old Northern Rock one.

 

 

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Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Chief Executive at Virgin Money, said: “Now that Virgin Money and Northern Rock are united as one business, it gives us great pleasure to continue the shirt sponsorship of Newcastle United Football Club.

“The Northern Rock sponsorship started in 2003 and it is an important link to the North-East which we are pleased to continue. Combined with our sponsorship of the Virgin London Marathon and the Edinburgh Festival ‘Fringe on the high street’, the shirt sponsorship of Newcastle United Football Club embeds our involvement in the communities we serve.

“The first 10,000 supporters with 2011/12 season shirts that bring them to the Club shop will receive a free Virgin Money update to their shirt.

"Availability of this new branding will be posted on the club website but is expected at the end of the week.”

Newcastle had hoped to find a combined sponsor for the shirt and stadium after owner Mike Ashley changed its name from St James’ Park to the Sports Direct Arena in November, but there is still no news of a stadium deal.

That is likely to mean Ashley’s own sports company continues to benefit from the free advertising controversial name change gives him, at least until the summer.

The club have not made any mention of the stadium naming rights in their deal with Virgin Money and it is not clear whether Branson’s company were offered the chance to combine the two as had been mooted by Newcastle.

Newcastle’s managing director Derek Llambias said: “We’re delighted to secure this new deal with Virgin Money and we look forward to enjoying a mutually beneficial partnership over the coming seasons. It is an excellent deal for both parties and we’re very happy to have them on board.”

Edited by Asprilla
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A late deal was brokered?

 

Didn't Virgin Money announce that they would completely re-brand Northern Rock as Virgin Money by 31st December 2011? Surely that's all that's happened here - we've got the new business name, not a new sponsor?

 

Ironically had we stuck with NTL we'd have soon been sponsored by Virgin Media.

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BTW the new shirt sponsor decals are as tacky as the efforts we had the last time we had a mid-season sponsorship change. Cleary an iron over the top job with NR still visible underneath. Not to mention the coats that had the electricians tap stuck over the sponsor logo. Blue Star with the black bar anyone?

 

Poor bastards who bought their kids any Northern Rock laced official kit for Christmas too. Absolutely shite timing!!

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A late deal was brokered?

 

Didn't Virgin Money announce that they would completely re-brand Northern Rock as Virgin Money by 31st December 2011? Surely that's all that's happened here - we've got the new business name, not a new sponsor?

 

Ironically had we stuck with NTL we'd have soon been sponsored by Virgin Media.

 

I think the Northern Rock Deal was expiring this month. They hadn't taken the option which was on the table for a longer deal while they were a public company. Assume Virgin have just taken up that deal now.

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BTW the new shirt sponsor decals are as tacky as the efforts we had the last time we had a mid-season sponsorship change. Cleary an iron over the top job with NR still visible underneath. Not to mention the coats that had the electricians tap stuck over the sponsor logo. Blue Star with the black bar anyone?

 

Poor bastards who bought their kids any Northern Rock laced official kit for Christmas too. Absolutely shite timing!!

 

They'll probably have had to do something which can be replicated easily onto supporters replica shirts.

 

Hopefully now that we have a colour logo, we'll get away without using a horrible black patch behind it.

 

Matching red numbers next season.

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Point is the 'Sports Direct masterplan from day one' revisionists were talking shit as the facts constantly showed. Doesn't matter if SJH said it or Leazes, it's still cobblers. The Sports Direct clothes horse theory was just another mistaken prediction. He'll capitalise on assets, find revenue streams and change strategies according to who's offering most and when. Ie the only thing you can predict with confidence is that he'll do what brings in the most money at any given point in time and the club will have to fall in line with that. That's why he's a billionaire. We won't see all of that money. Again, that's why he's a billionaire.

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Point is the 'Sports Direct masterplan from day one' revisionists were talking shit as the facts constantly showed. Doesn't matter if SJH said it or Leazes, it's still cobblers. The Sports Direct clothes horse theory was just another mistaken prediction. He'll capitalise on assets, find revenue streams and change strategies according to who's offering most and when. Ie the only thing you can predict with confidence is that he'll do what brings in the most money at any given point in time and the club will have to fall in line with that. That's why he's a billionaire. We won't see all of that money. Again, that's why he's a billionaire.

 

Not sure how keeping a shirt sponsor as a business other than Sports direct negates any of the Sports direct promotion he's used the club for over 5 years...and which he always intended to. For example, this is still there....

 

sports.png

 

 

...and even if some other company now pays for the right to replace it, and he accepts that offer, it will have served his original intention.

Edited by Happy Face
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Point is the 'Sports Direct masterplan from day one' revisionists were talking shit as the facts constantly showed. Doesn't matter if SJH said it or Leazes, it's still cobblers. The Sports Direct clothes horse theory was just another mistaken prediction. He'll capitalise on assets, find revenue streams and change strategies according to who's offering most and when. Ie the only thing you can predict with confidence is that he'll do what brings in the most money at any given point in time and the club will have to fall in line with that. That's why he's a billionaire. We won't see all of that money. Again, that's why he's a billionaire.

 

Not sure how keeping a shirt sponsor as a business other than Sports direct negates any of the Sports direct promotion he's used the club for over 5 years...and which he always intended to. For example, this is still there....

 

sports.png

 

Yes I know that, my point is it was said on here ie. that this was always his intention and 'free' shirt sponsorship (when it transpired nobody else wanted it) was the next step turned out to be cobblers. That was the exact conspiracy theory. It's either a Sports Direct masterplan or it isn't. It isn't as he's taken cash from Virgin for the shirts instead. I reckon he'd do the same if someone paid him for the ground too ergo it's not a masterplan and definitely wasnt a 'day one' plan. As Gemmill says, he'd let you sponsor his cock if you paid enough.

 

Everything has it's price to him and he'll sell bits and bobs for whatever he can get and if he cant get what he wants he'll bung SD all over it.

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A late deal was brokered?

 

Didn't Virgin Money announce that they would completely re-brand Northern Rock as Virgin Money by 31st December 2011? Surely that's all that's happened here - we've got the new business name, not a new sponsor?

 

Ironically had we stuck with NTL we'd have soon been sponsored by Virgin Media.

 

I think the Northern Rock Deal was expiring this month. They hadn't taken the option which was on the table for a longer deal while they were a public company. Assume Virgin have just taken up that deal now.

 

 

But the NR deal was up until the summer wasn't it? And the fact that the NR brand was ceasing to exist on 31/12/2011 after the Virgin Money buyout is anything but coincidence to me. The whole 'new sponsorship' thing is a non-story IYAM.

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BTW the new shirt sponsor decals are as tacky as the efforts we had the last time we had a mid-season sponsorship change. Cleary an iron over the top job with NR still visible underneath. Not to mention the coats that had the electricians tap stuck over the sponsor logo. Blue Star with the black bar anyone?

 

Poor bastards who bought their kids any Northern Rock laced official kit for Christmas too. Absolutely shite timing!!

 

They'll probably have had to do something which can be replicated easily onto supporters replica shirts.

 

Hopefully now that we have a colour logo, we'll get away without using a horrible black patch behind it.

 

Matching red numbers next season.

 

Did you hear what they've said? First 10,000 to get to the club shop can get a free patch. First 10,000!!!! When S&N took over from Greenalls they offered a free patch (however crap it was) to anyone who'd bought the shirt with the Greenalls logo on (which, like our current shirt, was only 6 months old).

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Maybe I'm just being slow but i still don't see how Ashley being prepared to sell advertising space to other parties if the price is right means he never had any interest in using the club to promote his brand like SJH said he'd wanted to from their first meeting. He's always been selling advertising space to other companies all around the ground.

 

I agree anyone that said free shirt sponsorship was bound to happen has been proved wrong here...but I think you're stretching that narrow prediction too far if you think it disproves the line of thought that one of the primary benefits Ashley saw in buying the club (if not the primary one) was advertising his other business interests.

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A late deal was brokered?

 

Didn't Virgin Money announce that they would completely re-brand Northern Rock as Virgin Money by 31st December 2011? Surely that's all that's happened here - we've got the new business name, not a new sponsor?

 

Ironically had we stuck with NTL we'd have soon been sponsored by Virgin Media.

 

I think the Northern Rock Deal was expiring this month. They hadn't taken the option which was on the table for a longer deal while they were a public company. Assume Virgin have just taken up that deal now.

 

 

But the NR deal was up until the summer wasn't it? And the fact that the NR brand was ceasing to exist on 31/12/2011 after the Virgin Money buyout is anything but coincidence to me. The whole 'new sponsorship' thing is a non-story IYAM.

 

I thought it went to the summer but one of the lads last night was saying it was due to end this month. I've not checked.

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Maybe I'm just being slow but i still don't see how Ashley being prepared to sell advertising space to other parties if the price is right means he never had any interest in using the club to promote his brand like SJH said he'd wanted to from their first meeting. He's always been selling advertising space to other companies all around the ground.

 

I agree anyone that said free shirt sponsorship was bound to happen has been proved wrong here...but I think you're stretching that narrow prediction too far if you think it disproves the line of thought that one of the primary benefits Ashley saw in buying the club (if not the primary one) was advertising his other business interests.

 

I think he'd have thought it was a potential benefit and I think it was nowhere near the primary one in his mind. I think that's what the revisionists put forward and I dont think the facts (or the timing of advertising encroachment) support it. He doesnt have an ounce of sentimentality at all and if he just wanted to re-brand it The Sports Direct Arena he'd have done it far earlier into his tenure. He's plastered shit everywhere which looks a mess and now he's pissed all over the name too, but he'd sell it to someone else if they offered more. It's revenue streams and he sees it as that alone. When it doesnt bring in what he wants it gets the SD treatment.

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A late deal was brokered?

 

Didn't Virgin Money announce that they would completely re-brand Northern Rock as Virgin Money by 31st December 2011? Surely that's all that's happened here - we've got the new business name, not a new sponsor?

 

Ironically had we stuck with NTL we'd have soon been sponsored by Virgin Media.

 

I think the Northern Rock Deal was expiring this month. They hadn't taken the option which was on the table for a longer deal while they were a public company. Assume Virgin have just taken up that deal now.

 

 

But the NR deal was up until the summer wasn't it? And the fact that the NR brand was ceasing to exist on 31/12/2011 after the Virgin Money buyout is anything but coincidence to me. The whole 'new sponsorship' thing is a non-story IYAM.

 

I thought it went to the summer but one of the lads last night was saying it was due to end this month. I've not checked.

 

Llambias said something like he needed to tell Puma who the new sponsors are so they can get it on the next shirt - that implied next summer to me. Also we changed to NR in the summer of 2003. Fairly sure that the initial (and all subsequent) contracts signed would have been in terms of years.

 

As soon as it was announced that VM were buying NR and that they NR brand was 'dying' on 31/12/2011 some of us speculated that VM would become our sponsors after the new year. And they have. It's a extension of the current deal at best and yes Manc-mag, there will be some money involved. But I don't see it as a fab new sponsorship deal the way they're portraying it. It's NR with a lick of paint.

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Are Northern Rock Stores all rebadged as Virgin Money stores now?

 

Good question. IIRC Northern Rock splintered when they went into public ownership - Northern Rock (for the banking) and NRAM for the debt management. AFAIK VIrgin bought Northern Rock but not NRAM. With that in mind I'd expect to see the branches be renamed.

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But I don't see it as a fab new sponsorship deal the way they're portraying it. It's NR with a lick of paint.

 

It's an extended deal on improved terms. What more could we have hoped for?

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