DCBL Group, the bailiff company made famous by the UK television show ‘Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away’, has been named as the main sponsor of Halton Stadium, home to rugby league Championship club Widnes Vikings.
The deal has been signed with Halton Council for an undisclosed amount, with the 13,350-capacity venue to be renamed DCBL Stadium.
DCBL’s chief executive, Gary Robinson, told the Liverpool Echo: “We hope it’s going to be beneficial to the community and the economy and maybe help the mighty Widnes Vikings get back on top.”
Several councillors are reportedly not in favour of the deal due to the perceived “reputational damage” the partnership could have on the local authority. The Echo reports that the agreement was signed without formal discussion by a council committee.
In response to concerns about the impact on the council’s reputation, Robinson said he understood that there was “a stigma” attached to bailiffs, but emphasised that his business had “the most ethical teams in the country.
He added: “We do pride ourselves on ethical enforcement, and the TV show made us the UK face of the enforcement industry.
“That also brought a lot of scrutiny. We knew fairly early on that everything had to be done correctly, ethically, and we have ever accreditation that’s out there to get.”
Halton Stadium, which is owned by the council, has not had a sponsor since its deal with Select Security ran out in 2017. The club has faced challenging times financially after being relegated from Super League last year due to falling sales income, but was taken over by new owners earlier in 2019.
Halton Council has been contacted by TheStadiumBusiness about the deal.
Image: VikingJohn
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