Sponsorship

[MattSantos]

How much do we get and from who?

Superleague? How much, how long?

Top clubs, who sponsors the shirt, how much, how long?

Is there any data for a comparative analysis?

A lot of my mates source these deals for football clubs, leagues and competitions and i hadn't a clue when asked about RL

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

I will start, Papa Johns sponsor Super League for £0 but free pizza. It was negotiated by Robert.

Cazoo were recently announced as the World Cup sponsor. The exact figure wasn’t reported but it was stated to be a seven figure deal and the largest in Rugby League World Cup history. It was not negotiated by Robert.

[Mr Plow]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

I will start, Papa Johns sponsor Super League for £0 but free pizza. It was negotiated by Robert.

Cazoo were recently announced as the World Cup sponsor. The exact figure wasn’t reported but it was stated to be a seven figure deal and the largest in Rugby League World Cup history. It was not negotiated by Robert.

An international competition has more sponsors than one played by 11 northern clubs and a French team

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

I will start, Papa Johns sponsor Super League for £0 but free pizza. It was negotiated by Robert.

Cazoo were recently announced as the World Cup sponsor. The exact figure wasn’t reported but it was stated to be a seven figure deal and the largest in Rugby League World Cup history. It was not negotiated by Robert.

Do you have a link to show Robert Elstone negotiated the Papa John's deal? Surely he has a team to sort this stuff out? 

[Dave T]

Just now, Mr Plow said:

An international competition has more sponsors than one played by 11 northern clubs and a French team

One is also a headline sponsor, one is a provider who gets paid in some digital ads. 

[JohnM]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

I will start, Papa Johns sponsor Super League for £0 but free pizza. It was negotiated by Robert.

Cazoo were recently announced as the World Cup sponsor. The exact figure wasn’t reported but it was stated to be a seven figure deal and the largest in Rugby League World Cup history. It was not negotiated by Robert.

What's up, sonny? Has he spurned your advances? Does he owe you money?  The must be some reason for your irrational obession with him.  Still, it's good to start the day with a laugh.

Now, back on topic, why not try and redeem what is left of your credibility by answering Matt Santos question? Oh, I know why...you have no idea.

[HarrogateKnights]

Harrogate Fire Ants £40 for player sponsorship. Player subs/matchday sponsorship cover other costs. 

[Whippet13]

1 hour ago, Mr Plow said:

An international competition has more sponsors than one played by 11 northern clubs and a French team

Yes, but it should be 10 northern clubs, 2 French clubs, 1 London club and 1 Canadian club - then we would have been able to re-negotiate for garlic bread and dough-balls as well as the pizza.

[The Future is League]

18 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

Yes, but it should be 10 northern clubs, 2 French clubs, 1 London club and 1 Canadian club - then we would have been able to re-negotiate for garlic bread and dough-balls as well as the pizza.

A competition made up from clubs from them areas would certainly get more big brand sponsors on, but it won't happen all the while we have insular people running the game who like to wear cloth caps and have Whippets as pets

[Mr Frisky]

6 hours ago, MattSantos said:

How much do we get and from who?

Superleague? How much, how long?

Top clubs, who sponsors the shirt, how much, how long?

Is there any data for a comparative analysis?

A lot of my mates source these deals for football clubs, leagues and competitions and i hadn't a clue when asked about RL

Are you in charge of the RFL commercial department?

[Hela Wigmen]

Can we actually attribute any sponsors coming on board or leaving the sport to the makeup of the division and the geographical location of its clubs?

[Eddie]

37 minutes ago, Mr Frisky said:

Are you in charge of the RFL commercial department?

Post of the week. 

[Mr Plow]

1 hour ago, Whippet13 said:

Yes, but it should be 10 northern clubs, 2 French clubs, 1 London club and 1 Canadian club - then we would have been able to re-negotiate for garlic bread and dough-balls as well as the pizza.

My non rugby league liking friends took more of an interest in the sport when London and Toronto were in SL. A more national and international competition would appeal more to sponsors than a regional one

[Tommygilf]

27 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Can we actually attribute any sponsors coming on board or leaving the sport to the makeup of the division and the geographical location of its clubs?

I doubt you'll ever get a direct quote to that, frankly because a lot of companies treat sponsorship as a bit of dark arts. That said, if you asked Gallagher why they sponsor the Kangaroos/NRL and English RU but not the Wallabies or Super League I'm sure the relative profiles will be mentioned; which is linked to the geographic footprint (or lack of). 

We've had a clear marker only this week of just how London and the South East vs the rest the UK is at an executive level. Its wrong, but it's reality. That reflects how its not just geographic spread but the strategic locations within that spread themselves that are important. Otherwise we may as well go for Truro to Carlisle.

In Football, the Leeds CEO was saying this week how the geography of England is known in the far east by premier league teams. Meaning that last year people would know Bournemouth or Brighton but not Leeds, Bristol, or Birmingham for example. What that shows is that once you reach a critical mass of spread (in football the big North West clubs, big 3 in London, plus maybe to be kind Villa and Newcastle) then you can have relatively tiny teams in too, like Bournemouth, and still be valuable to sponsors etc. 

In RL terms this reflects a view I've held for a while that beyond the big 5 English teams, it really doesn't matter who is in and who is not for the current value - Leigh, Wakefield, Halifax, Widnes, KR, Salford, York etc are essentially interchangeable. However to grow that value (or stop in shrinking in real terms) we need to have a broader scope of teams at that top "integral" level - though they don't have to be random pins in a map or totally outside the "heartlands".

Perhaps funding that, (London, Newcastle and Bradford for example) is what Elstone wants to use PE money for? Other than the stadium scenario, Bradford should be an easy win for RL in a market it is already strong in. Whilst Newcastle and London (as examples not hard and fast must happen demands) enhance the image of the sport from a regional activity to a more national competition - thus inherently more attractive to sponsors.

[Scotchy1]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I doubt you'll ever get a direct quote to that, frankly because a lot of companies treat sponsorship as a bit of dark arts. That said, if you asked Gallagher why they sponsor the Kangaroos/NRL and English RU but not the Wallabies or Super League I'm sure the relative profiles will be mentioned; which is linked to the geographic footprint (or lack of). 

We've had a clear marker only this week of just how London and the South East vs the rest the UK is at an executive level. Its wrong, but it's reality. That reflects how its not just geographic spread but the strategic locations within that spread themselves that are important. Otherwise we may as well go for Truro to Carlisle.

In Football, the Leeds CEO was saying this week how the geography of England is known in the far east by premier league teams. Meaning that last year people would know Bournemouth or Brighton but not Leeds, Bristol, or Birmingham for example. What that shows is that once you reach a critical mass of spread (in football the big North West clubs, big 3 in London, plus maybe to be kind Villa and Newcastle) then you can have relatively tiny teams in too, like Bournemouth, and still be valuable to sponsors etc. 

In RL terms this reflects a view I've held for a while that beyond the big 5 English teams, it really doesn't matter who is in and who is not for the current value - Leigh, Wakefield, Halifax, Widnes, KR, Salford, York etc are essentially interchangeable. However to grow that value (or stop in shrinking in real terms) we need to have a broader scope of teams at that top "integral" level - though they don't have to be random pins in a map or totally outside the "heartlands".

Perhaps funding that, (London, Newcastle and Bradford for example) is what Elstone wants to use PE money for? Other than the stadium scenario, Bradford should be an easy win for RL in a market it is already strong in. Whilst Newcastle and London (as examples not hard and fast must happen demands) enhance the image of the sport from a regional activity to a more national competition - thus inherently more attractive to sponsors.

There are a lot of 'intangibles' in this area. Companies aren't just looking at the tangible things but things like image and outlook.

But there are bricks and mortar problems, for the vast majority of the country RL isn't relevant. We have no international game to speak of and the club game is, for most people, small and miles away.

In football, there is nowhere really in the country you couldn't be a pro football fan. In RL its the opposite. 

[The Future is League]

13 minutes ago, Celt said:

So, as I posted on another thread, Elstone was speaking only a month ago on BBC 5 Live, and he said the key criteria for whoever would be the new club in SuperLeague, would be what they could add from a commercial perspective.

"Is it going to get broadcasters interested, is it going to get sponsors interested?" 

Was pretty much his exact words.

So I think we can assume Leigh will be pulling in some pretty massive sponsors.

Well you and i and many others know that isn't going to happen.

The facts are Leigh is a suburb of Wigan,  who a vast majority of the country has never heard of let alone where it is unless they read these forums.

As a Super League club they offer nothing apart from being the 12th club in Super League which is the minimum that the Sky contract allows. No new sponsors of note will come on board because they have been gifted a Super League place.

[iffleyox]

26 minutes ago, Scotchy1 said:

In football, there is nowhere really in the country you couldn't be a pro football fan. In RL its the opposite. 

as my annual spend with Cross Country Trains will demonstrate. And even then it's a nightmare - putting most matches on a week night or a Sunday in a really tight geographical area means I'm booking my games, time off work, and putting my Sunday service long distance train timetable ninja skills to work...

I mean, I do it because it's fun and I love the game, but RL really isn't easy for anyone in the country who doesn't live in a heartland town to watch it live.

It's the only sport I know where you can love it all you want but when it's not shooting itself in the foot,  if you live 200 miles or so away the institutional brick walls to watching it at the top level are massive.

I'd go so far as to say that it was only the fact that I was single and earning a decent wage in my early thirties that allowed me to properly get into RL - I had no one to stop me disappearing randomly to M62 world at the drop of a hat. 

Now I'm married, and a dad, it's falling right off again...

[Scotchy1]

2 minutes ago, iffleyox said:

as my annual spend with Cross Country Trains will demonstrate. And even then it's a nightmare - putting most matches on a week night or a Sunday in a really tight geographical area means I'm booking my games, time off work, and putting my Sunday service long distance train timetable ninja skills to work...

I mean, I do it because it's fun and I love the game, but RL really isn't easy for anyone in the country who doesn't live in a heartland town to watch it live.

It's the only sport I know where you can love it all you want but when it's not shooting itself in the foot,  if you live 200 miles or so away the institutional brick walls to watching it at the top level are massive.

I say it all the time. People on here will argue that if others just see the game they will love it or if England win the world cup the country will fall in love with the game.

They never address the question, how are they going to get to a game?

[iffleyox]

4 minutes ago, Scotchy1 said:

I say it all the time. People on here will argue that if others just see the game they will love it or if England win the world cup the country will fall in love with the game.

They never address the question, how are they going to get to a game?

on the plus side, it's unlikely I'd ever have had weekends away in Castleford or Wakefield without RL...

for all people knock it, if you only go up there once or twice a year both are a fun night out.

[whatmichaelsays]

27 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

In Football, the Leeds CEO was saying this week how the geography of England is known in the far east by premier league teams. Meaning that last year people would know Bournemouth or Brighton but not Leeds, Bristol, or Birmingham for example. What that shows is that once you reach a critical mass of spread (in football the big North West clubs, big 3 in London, plus maybe to be kind Villa and Newcastle) then you can have relatively tiny teams in too, like Bournemouth, and still be valuable to sponsors etc. 

Which I why I think that the game is wrong to see expansion as a geography problem. If Bournemouth or Burnley can become global brands, the problem is not that they're based in a deprived northern mill town or a south coast retirement home. Expansion is, and frankly always has been, an issue of audience. 

RL really needs to start looking beyond how many season tickets it can sell to the same people year after year and consider how it can expand it's broader appeal to new audiences, irrespective of how close they are to a Super League ground. It needs to think much more like a media property. Yes, turnstyle clicks might put cash in the till today but, as I suspect the next TV deal will demonstrate, not thinking about those audience that don't attend games is much more expensive in the long term. 

The sport has a platform and the ability to produce huge amounts of high quality content and distribute it around the world. It needs to find a way to do that and monetise it. 

[whatmichaelsays]

1 minute ago, iffleyox said:

on the plus side, it's unlikely I'd ever have had weekends away in Castleford or Wakefield without RL...

for all people knock it, if you only go up there once or twice a year both are a fun night out.

I can see the tourist board slogan now:

"Visit Castleford: It's fun in moderation!". 

[iffleyox]

1 minute ago, whatmichaelsays said:

I can see the tourist board slogan now:

"Visit Castleford: It's fun in moderation!". 

"Castleford - A weekend break"

[Scotchy1]

3 minutes ago, whatmichaelsays said:

Which I why I think that the game is wrong to see expansion as a geography problem. If Bournemouth or Burnley can become global brands, the problem is not that they're based in a deprived northern mill town or a south coast retirement home. Expansion is, and frankly always has been, an issue of audience. 

RL really needs to start looking beyond how many season tickets it can sell to the same people year after year and consider how it can expand it's broader appeal to new audiences, irrespective of how close they are to a Super League ground. It needs to think much more like a media property. Yes, turnstyle clicks might put cash in the till today but, as I suspect the next TV deal will demonstrate, not thinking about those audience that don't attend games is much more expensive in the long term. 

The sport has a platform and the ability to produce huge amounts of high quality content and distribute it around the world. It needs to find a way to do that and monetise it. 

The geography issue for RL isn't that there are some clubs in provincial towns and Cities. Its that that is pretty much all there is. 

 

[whatmichaelsays]

2 minutes ago, Scotchy1 said:

The geography issue for RL isn't that there are some clubs in provincial towns and Cities. Its that that is pretty much all there is. 

 

The point being is that the sport can't allow geography to become an excuse for not adapting to the modern sports business landscape. 

The fact that Tommy Makinson does those acrobatic finishes in St Helens rather than London doesn't make them any less spectacular. The fact that Bevan French scores full-length, mazy run tries in Wigan rather than New York doesn't stop them going viral. The fact that Konrad Hurrell plays in Leeds instead of Toronto doesn't make his personality less marketable. 

We can complain about geography all we like, but there's not a lot that can realistically be done about that until another millionaire comes along wanting to stick a pin in a map. What the game can do is become a much more effective media brand, making sure that it's capitalising on the very best of the hours and hours of content that it is producing and ensuring that it's producing as many of those spectacular moments as possible. 

Every single club should be capable of doing that.

[Curly perm]

3 hours ago, Dave T said:

Do you have a link to show Robert Elstone negotiated the Papa John's deal? Surely he has a team to sort this stuff out? 

A team that he’s responsible for and where he most likely has overall sign off for a high profile sponsorship deal?