Warriors’ new chief would sell stadium name - The Worcester Observer

Warriors’ new chief would sell stadium name

Worcester Editorial 11th Feb, 2015 Updated: 19th Oct, 2016   0

THE NEW chief executive of Worcester Warriors has said he would consider selling the naming rights for Sixways Stadium as he looks to maximise the club’s potential.

Jim O’Toole began his new role at Warriors last Monday (February 2) after leaving his position as commercial director at Aviva Premiership side London Irish.

During his time at Reading-based Irish, Mr O’Toole played a key role in increasing the club’s merchandise revenue and he said he had already spotted opportunities where Warriors can improve.

Currently only one of the four stands at Sixways is sponsored and Mr O’Toole said he would not rule out the possibility of selling the name of the stadium in a bid to bring in extra money to the club.




“I don’t see why not as it’s part of the modern sports marketing mix,” he said.

“If some big brands which have a long heritage and history in their stadia have done it (sold their naming right), why shouldn’t we?


“This stadium is not quite old enough to be like Anfield or Old Trafford or Welford Road. I personally would have no problems with it and if the right commercial proposition came along I suspect our board would not have a problem with it.”

Mr O’Toole, who has more than 25 years experience in the sports industry, said he was hoping to continue Warriors’ work to expand its supporters’ base.

“There are some rugby clubs which are pushing water up hill in terms of its location and that it will always be a challenge for them to get a reasonable level of people coming in,” he added.

“I think there is a huge opportunity here because being the premier sports brand in a city of 100,000 people gives them a real base.

“Premiership rugby needs a strong professional team in the West Midlands. All the research will tell you that your key catchment area is within an hours drive as people are quite happy to travel an hour to come to a match.

“In our case, that’s quite a few million people. We only need 10,000 or 12,000 of those, so it about identifying the right people through the right communication channels and making them a compelling offer to come and watch.”

Mr O’Toole said he had been “stunned” by the work already being carried out in the community, but he insisted the club could still do more to engage with supporters.

“We need to make sure we become a customer centric business,” he added. “You have got to get the customers at the centre of everything you do, so you have to understand them.

“I hope you will see a different way of communicating with people – an open and honest way. We will get it wrong sometimes, but if there is a problem come and talk to me about it and we will come and fix it.”

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