'Brentford Community Stadium' is a working title until the club secures a stadium sponsorship deal i.e. sells the naming rights. Same applies to Spurs - until they clinch a deal, they are desperate to avoid any mention of, or reference to, White Hart Lane, in case it catches on ("The New Lane", or whatever), thereby reducing the effect of any sponsored name.Clubs like Arsenal/The Emirates and Man. City/The Etihad learned this lesson from one of the first brand new stadium builds, Middlesbrough FC. Boro moved in in 1995, with the stadium initially known as "The Riverside" during construction. When it opened, the fans voted to call it "The Cellnet Riverside Stadium", after the club's main sponsor, and as the best of an uninspiring choice. Later it was renamed the "BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium", but by then it was too late - everyone simply referred to it as "The Riverside", so that after a few years, BT ended their sponsorship and the club made the common usage official. I daresay Bees owner Matthew Benham will sell the naming rights to the highest bidder - the fact that London Irish will be tenants should make it extra attractive to some sponsors. But if he doesn't get what he hopes for, we might see it named after one of his own companies, SmartOdds or Matchbook? (I'm speculating on this last bit)
Richard Cathcart ● 2052d