Flybe lets Southampton keep stadium name

Flybe will not use its brand name to rename the English Southampton stadium, a move the company says shows its commitment to supporting the game in the local community.

After signing a three-year deal with the club, Flybe had the right to co-brand the stadium, but opted to use the ground’s original name, St Mary’s Stadium. For the past five seasons, the ground has officially been called The Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium.

The airline's logo will still appear on Southampton shirts and some branding on Kingsland Stands.

The move contrasts with Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, which signed a GBP 100 million deal with Emirates in which its new ground will be officially named Emirates Stadium.

Southampton, which plays in the Championship League after being relegated after 27 years in the Premier Leagues, said the move helped as most fans refer to the stadium as St Mary’s anyway.

“While it is important to us in our role as the main club sponsor that the team carry the Flybe name, it is the fans that really have ownership of the stadium where their team plays,” said Ian Taylor, general manager of market development at Flybe.

“So it seems perfectly right that our first act as club sponsor should be to give the name of the stadium back to the fans and we are pleased that from now on the ground will be known simply as St Mary’s.”

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.