Whats in a name? : Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:09 pm  

I wonder if we could offer sponsorship to a company. In exchange the club could carry that company's name.

Nike Cougars has a nice ring to it.

Would it work and who could we offer it to?

Re: Whats in a name? : Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:19 pm  

I hate the concept of having corporate sports names.

It's selling out the identity of the club.

The following real corporate club names are just cringeworthy.

New York Red B*lls
Red B*ll Salzburg
FC Superfund
Phillips SV Eindhoven
Technogroup Welshpool
Total Network Solutions ( To whom Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday always used to say "They'll be dancing in the streets of Total Network Solutions tonight" when ever they won)
Energie Cottbus
NEC Harlequins
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now known as Anaheim Ducks after Disney sold them)

If we did it we'd be a laughing stock.

Re: Whats in a name? : Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:18 pm  

Stealth Comic wrote:

I hate the concept of having corporate sports names.

It's selling out the identity of the club.

Is it, or more a case of getting more publicity?

Stealth Comic wrote:

If we did it we'd be a laughing stock.

No we wouldn't. We would once again be leading the way and showing other clubs how it is done.
Also if the deal was a good one. It would help improve the ground and maybe playing staff as well.

Re: Whats in a name? : Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:48 pm  

guess who wrote:

Is it, or more a case of getting more publicity?

I don't believe the mantra that all publicity is good publicity.

guess who wrote:

No we wouldn't. We would once again be leading the way and showing other clubs how it is done.
Also if the deal was a good one. It would help improve the ground and maybe playing staff as well.

So do you envisage a fixture list in 20 years time being something like this.

Nike Cougars vs Br*dford Red B*lls

Nestlé Blue Sox vs Tesco Warriors

Asda Rhinos vs Forgemasters Eagles

NEC Harlequins vs BAE Systems Raiders

ICI Vikings vs Ikea Wolves

I couldn't think of much worse to be honest.

Money and a nice ground aren't the be all and end all. I come down to Cougar Park not just to watch good rugby and have a good craic. I come because it's my home town's team, something I can identify with, relate to, be proud of. Could I do that with a corporate named team, I'm not sure.

Call me a flatcapper and a communist if you want, but I think our game should be more about the fans and the players. I'd hate to see our game going along the lines of what football has, selling it's soul to become a plaything for Arab Oil Barons, Russian Oiligarchs and American Conglomerates.

Re: Whats in a name? : Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:14 am  

I agree Stealth, the identity is bound up with the home town as long as the town's name is present. As soon as you lose that, the team (Asda Cougars for example) could play anywhere, it wouldn't matter. No-one outside of Keighley would have a clue where it was.

Re: Whats in a name? : Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:20 am  

Keep Keighley. I am a Bulls fan but enjoy watching the Cougars play. Selling the name wouldn't be right. You've been Keighley Cougars for god knows how many years taking that away, like someone said before, is taking away a proud club's identity.

Re: Whats in a name? : Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:16 pm  

Can anyone remember the gotcha that Look North (I think) played on Mike Smith and Mick O’Neil at the height of Cougarmania?

Actors posed as Arab billionaires who wanted to invest heavily in the club but the catch was we would have to change our name to reflect an Arabian theme - namely from Keighley Cougars to Keighley Kar-mels (Camels)

The problem is that most clubs operate on the very limit of (and beyond) financial prudence, so any sniff of money would be grabbed with open arms. I am sure Wakefield directors would sell their soul to the devil if it meant super league survival.

[tb]

Re: Whats in a name? : Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:05 pm  

Stealth Comic wrote:

Phillips SV Eindhoven

a minor piece of pedantry: Phillips Sports Vereeniging Eindhoven has been Phillips Sports Vereeniging Eindhoven as long as its existed: it started out as the team of the works sports and social club.


However, anybody thinking of selling their club name for cash should be shot - it's what RU clubs do. Remember Earth Titans anyone?

Re: Whats in a name? : Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:08 pm  

Dreamer wrote:

Can anyone remember the gotcha that Look North (I think) played on Mike Smith and Mick O’Neil at the height of Cougarmania?

Actors posed as Arab billionaires who wanted to invest heavily in the club but the catch was we would have to change our name to reflect an Arabian theme - namely from Keighley Cougars to Keighley Kar-mels (Camels)

.

Aye

They were all up for agreeing to the banning of women from the ground , and if I remember correctly the building of a small minneret on top of the scrattin shed roof...

Re: Whats in a name? : Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:29 pm  

tb wrote:

However, anybody thinking of selling their club name for cash should be shot ...

So, if Cas fall short of funding for the new stadium and your ”business tycoon” offers you a bail out, wouldn’t you consider being the “Probiz Tigers” for a while?

Would this be preferable to spending another, possibly permanent, spell in the championship?

What would your directors think?