Industry News

No naming rights deal for Hillsborough, says Sheffield Wednesday chair

Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri has said it is unlikely that the English Championship football club will seek a naming rights partner for its Hillsborough home stadium in the near future.

Speaking in an interview with The Star, Chansiri said that while such deals can generate a significant amount of income, teams outside of the Premier League will not benefit as much as clubs in the top-tier.

However, despite cooling talk of an imminent deal, Chansiri said that he would be open to such an agreement in the future, should the right opportunity present itself.

“We continue to try and explore every opportunity to help stay within the Profitability and Sustainability regulations and while naming rights can contribute significantly to the overall commercial budget of a club, they do not represent the millions that some may think,” Chansiri said.

“Outside of the Premier League, the challenges are more acute, without doubt. The current economic climate does not lend itself to huge stadium naming rights deals globally and those deals that are in place tend to be aligned to new stadia with maximum exposure. But that is not to say it is not possible at a club the size of Sheffield Wednesday.”

Chansiri also said that there are no immediate plans for the club to move into a new stadium. Sheffield Wednesday has been based at Hillsborough since the venue opened in 1889.

“I have been asked if I would consider moving to a new stadium and my answer is always the same,” Chansiri said. “Right now, we do our best with our home of Hillsborough, in which I have invested significant sums since buying Sheffield Wednesday.

“I am very aware of our heritage and the esteem in which our fans hold Hillsborough and this is something we will balance with the merits of moving in future years after we get to the Premier League.

“I do not like to look too far ahead, we can only focus on one season at a time.”

Image: Deejayone