I would very definitely be against the proposed renaming of Thomond Park. If Thomond Park is part of the brand identity and part of the spirit of the club, then it should stay as is. Think of Bolton Wanderers who sold the rights and when JJB was bought, the stadium changed name again to DW Stadium. Such renaming is not unusual when sponsors enter difficulties. San Francisco 49’er’s football stadium changed name four times in eleven years – reverting back to the original Candlestick Park. Southampton used to play at Friends Provident St Mary’s Stadium but now it is just St. Mary’s Stadium. Imagine if previously a stadium had been called Norwich Union Arena, it would have to change to Aviva. If it was Royal Liver Stadium, it would have had to go through some renames to get to Caledonian. In 2007, if naming rights were to be sold, would there have been any concern with Anglo Irish Bank Stadium or even Irish Nationwide Park – think about it now being lrish Bank Resolution Centre (In Liquidation) Park. Thomond was one of the three kingdoms of Munster that are represented in the three crowns on the Munster crest. It is part of the history – just as the different Irish translations of Thomond track the trends in the Irish language. If Munster are after the cash at the expense of the history and tradition, they might as well have loads of sponsors’ logos on the jersey like French teams. They might even consider changing the name to IBRC Munster as per basketball teams. They may get short-term cash, but I suspect that they will lose support. They will definitely lose part of that spirit of the brand and image; that connection with the support; and, long-term, most likely sales. Money can’t, or shouldn’t, be able to buy everything. |