The Sunday Telegraph is reporting that the finance company Wonga will sponsor Newcastle United from next season, and their emblem will be on the shirts, and the surprising thing is that the report says they will sponsor both the shirts and also buy the naming rights to the club’s stadium St. James’ Park – in a deal believed to be worth around £8M a year.
For both the shirts and the stadium that figure seems ridiculously low to us, and we’d be surprised if the stadium’s naming rights have been sold for such a small price, although it will get Sports Direct off the TV screens a bit – and we suppose that has got to be good.
Derek LLambias has always said the target price for selling the naming rights to St. James’ Park alone was around £10M a year, and given it’s a very unpopular move to the fans, the club had better get good money for it.
If the Telegraph had quoted say £18M a year then that would be a decent deal for Newcastle, for both the naming rights and the shirt sponsorship – but not for £8M.
Virgin Money’s contract with Newcastle was cancelled last week, and it will now run only through the end of this season, and the two year deal has been widely quoted at £10M a year, so where the Telegraph gets £8M from – that is supposed to include the naming rights – we have no idea.
The Telegraph is reporting the deal is not yet complete and nothing has yet been signed, but negotiations are ongoing and expected to complete within a few days.
And the stadium will be renamed Wonga – the Wonga Stadium – Wonda Park – Wonda Arena – they all sound awful to us – to say the least – we’ll keep calling it by it’s correct name – St. James’ Park – as always.
Wonga filed detailed accounts for the year ended December 2011 at Companies House, and they have cash on hand of around £135M at the end of last year.
We cannot believe Wonga will get a double deal for £8M a year – and even the shirt deal if £8M – is not a good deal for Newcastle.
What do you think?
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45 comments so far
jawballsaswallwell
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:08 PM
Comment #110 mill for bunging a name on a shirt, and it get’s coalboxed because it isn’t enough, that’s amazing,
particularly to someone who barely has 2 bob to rub together.
Tsunki
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:09 PM
Comment #2IF true I will seriously not buy a shirt with that on, it would be like an open invitation to a mackem.
It would also boast the unenviable title of advertising with one of the most morally bereft companies trading at this time.
IF true, and SJP had the wonga name instead I would not renew my ST. Seriously.
gonufc (up and Hatem)
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:12 PM
Comment #3No, Please! I don’t want anything that could risk that bloody awful song being near St. James’!
jawballsaswallwell
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Comment #4Yeah, Wanga Rag Utd @ Wanga Rag Arena, ingenious way to destroy the club in one fell swoop, I refuse to countenance the prospect, blow into a bag, blow into a bag, blow into a bag…………
NUFC_LEAZES END
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Comment #5Let’s unleash the anti-Ashley chants tomorrow lads!!!!!!
You fat cockney b*****d get out of our club!!!!!
BelfastMagpie
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:19 PM
Comment #6Surely a wind up?
The wonga arena would be a real embarrasment like.
davybtoon
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:22 PM
Comment #7Leazes end – let’s not this deal isn’t even confirmed yet, n tomorrow is a huge game in our season so lets jus support the lads eh
davybtoon
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:24 PM
Comment #8Sports direct arena suddenly sounds brilliant
Tsunki
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:25 PM
Comment #9davyb – therein lies mikes psychology ….
NUFC_LEAZES END
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:25 PM
Comment #10@davybtoon
Fair enough, not tomorrow, but once it’s confirmed then let the hatred towards Ashley flow!!!
toonincheek
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:30 PM
Comment #11The Wonga adverts get turned off immediately when I see them on TV.
Tragic news if they are to be our sponsor.
rossrich
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:31 PM
Comment #12This has got to be a wind up!!!! Surely!!! I wont buy anything with Wonga written across the front. Not a hope in hell. The SMB where I work can hardly talk for laughing.
Not good.
DG MAGPIE
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:40 PM
Comment #13Tacky tacky tacky
nico
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:47 PM
Comment #14I think this may well turn out to be untrue. I’m quite sure we get 10million from Virgin, so why would be cancel that for 8million for Wonga.
I hate everything about that business, its one of the reasons the world is screwed up at the moment. Don’t they charge like 1500 Interest or something?
So you lend £1000 for a month and at the end of the month you owe £1250.
That will definately get you out of debt.
What morons actually lend from companies like Wonga??
nico
Oct 6, 2012 at 11:52 PM
Comment #15Wonga Deal Max £400 for 30 days.
Borrowing£400 + Interest & fees*£125.48 = Total to repay £525.48
Surely nobody in there right mind would go for this??
YorkshiresFinestGeordie
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:12 AM
Comment #16Can anyone actually imagine the Wonga logo on our black and white shirts especially with the blue background.
DannyboyNUFC
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:20 AM
Comment #17Here is the telegraph link if youse wanna have a look lads, this will be an utter travesty if true. The Wonga Arena or Stadium is nothing more than total humiliation, well done Mr Ashley you money grabbing twat.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/9591995/Wonga-poised-for-Newcastle-sponsorship-deal.html
toon1707
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:22 AM
Comment #18http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ffinance%2Fnewsbysector%2Fbanksandfinance%2F9591995%2FWonga-poised-for-Newcastle-sponsorship-deal.html&ei=CbZwUOL9C6HK0QXG5oCwBw&usg=AFQjCNFwxPXsGhBmBHmzHiF6hYIjF_v9oQ
Schwefelberg
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:40 AM
Comment #19It was just a matter of time before Ashley gave the fans another punch in the throat.
Just imagine if the club had gone in administration back in 2008.
Well it would all be over now!
We would have recovered!
And we wouldn’t have this money gruubers and pond scum running the club!!!
Dearka
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:44 AM
Comment #20wonga the fiance comapay have a sh**t ton of money they need to invest before the EVIL tax man they hands on it, so this deal could very helpful to newcaslte in the next transfer window but that does mean we will have to settle for a awful name for Stadium but we ARE NUFC fans and we will wear this new Stadium name with pride as all teams and fans will fear and laught while travaling to Wonga Park!!!!!!
Schwefelberg
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:52 AM
Comment #21Terrible news if true….
solano
Oct 7, 2012 at 1:00 AM
Comment #22If this does indeed become true….it seems a partnership made in heaven. Why is everyone complaining?
There seems to be a wonderful symbiosis between Mike, the Casino Man and Wonga – they loan you the money for the price of your soul, you get shafted and make them lots of money! Wtf the problem? Bring it on!
We need to explore all avenues in order to find a transfer budget….we can’t just continue a policy of wazzing off huge portions of potential fan revenue with a complete disregard for their self-respect, pride and history. Commercial advertising must come first in order for us to become a self-sustaining, self-parodying embarrassment.
JP...from The Rock
Oct 7, 2012 at 1:07 AM
Comment #23Wonga Stadium!! LOL Embarrassing.
archaeomag
Oct 7, 2012 at 1:16 AM
Comment #24St Wonga’s Park
How ‘king embarrassing – Shylocks-r-us
a company that lends poor people money at a Zillion% interest
Rather be sponsored by sponsored by Rentokil
Schwefelberg
Oct 7, 2012 at 2:08 AM
Comment #25Every time you think Ashley does stoop any lower, he does — like it was the first time he brung disaster to the club.
wynbae
Oct 7, 2012 at 2:44 AM
Comment #26I just can’t believe that. It’s a massive wind up! Got to be.
Remember that Harry Enfield sketch..loadsamoney ? That was inspired by wanker Chelsea fans waving ‘wonga’ at toon fans, shouting ‘poor northerners…look at all my money! Loadsamoney!
IRONY.
wynbae
Oct 7, 2012 at 2:46 AM
Comment #27This is the name for man city or chelski….but not toon
wynbae
Oct 7, 2012 at 2:48 AM
Comment #28Should be called the Spendthrift Arena
londongeordie
Oct 7, 2012 at 3:22 AM
Comment #29One of the most irresponsible companies in the world. I hope tHis is a bloody joke
jesperfuglsang
Oct 7, 2012 at 7:06 AM
Comment #30I am the only one who get a mental picture of ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’? 😀 lol
…maybe we could be called ‘the umpa lumpas’ 😉
stevetoon85
Oct 7, 2012 at 8:48 AM
Comment #31Not sure where these reporters get thier facts from…..
The Wonga shirt deal is worth more than DOUBLE per year than the Virgin Money deal.
IT ALSO DOES NOT INCLUDE THE STADIUM NAMING RIGHTS!!!! Just the shirt sponsor….
arctoa
Oct 7, 2012 at 9:45 AM
Comment #32Such a morally bankrupt organisation should not be allowed anywhere near our shirts. They’re basically loan-sharks with flashy names and advertisements, and impressionable fans seeing their name on our shirts are going to think they’re legitimate and get sucked into their schemes. It’s despicable news, if it turns out to be true.
Even if one were to disregard all that as leftist liberal gubbins, the name ‘wonga’ is still embarrassing to put on our shirts! It’s as bad as ‘virgin’ in that respect.
I had been fearing that we’d end up with some sort of betting company as our sponsor, but this is along the same sort of lines. It’s not the sort of sponsorship that a club with global ambitions should be courting, so one can assume that we don’t actually have any global ambitions. Which is developmental suicide!
toon_army_redlichtie85
Oct 7, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Comment #33Why the hell is people saying that Ashley’s done it again and punched us in the throat again etc etc when we don’t even know if it is true yet! And of course it’s not true anyway!
Don’t know if there’s young kids on this site that doesn’t actually have the common sence to have an adult conversation on a blog about real football facts.
Why start ripping Ashley and co before we even know if its true ? Come on!
We will get a sponsor that will work for the club full stop
Exciting times ahead and let’s concentrate on beating the manure the day!
Howay the lads
HullMag6
Oct 7, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Comment #34As much as it pains me, I would’ve rather had SD. Think of how much of the unwashed trade wonga would lose a few more bankrupt smbs.
wynsleap
Oct 7, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Comment #35Cheap, morally bankrupt and embarrassing – just like our owner.
dave 1961
Oct 7, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Comment #36I hate wonga as they pray on the poor they are the most repugnant lot on the block these payday loan company’s should be closed as they are loan sharks, or a better name they are thieves, they should be line up against a wall and shot. and i would pay to pull the trigger.
GeordieDan
Oct 7, 2012 at 12:55 PM
Comment #37Pathetic, embarrassing, a decision made knowing that ALL the NUFC fans will despise him for it.
Welcome back Mr Ashley, we’ve missed you!
lesh
Oct 7, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Comment #38NUFC_LEAZES END // Oct 6, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Let’s unleash the anti-Ashley chants tomorrow lads!!!!!!
You fat cockney b*****d get out of our club!!!!!
Why uleash your vitriol? Have you got a problem that needs specialist attention? Maybe you ought to seek it!
lesh
Oct 7, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Comment #39uleash = unleash
James RS
Oct 7, 2012 at 8:58 PM
Comment #40With that name the Mackem supporters will have a field day. Does Ashley really like the club..? no defenders bought this summer , grrr