Bolton Wanderers chief confident of doubling exiting stadium sponsorship dealWanderers want to establish a long-term sponsor for the stadium next season which more than doubles their current revenue.
The current arrangement with the University of Bolton Stadium expires at the end of this season and specialist agency Sports Group International has now been appointed to find suitable partners for the next deal.
The exact price of sponsorship for last season has never been confirmed but total commercial income last season was listed at £533,276 in the club accounts, up on the previous year’s £433,794.
The University of Bolton Stadium entered into a four-year agreement in August 2018, taking over from sportswear firm Macron.
Wanderers CEO Neil Hart has not ruled out the possibility of a single company taking on the naming rights of the stadium AND the shirt sponsorship, which is currently with Dubai-based Service My Car.
But while that scenario looks doubtful, he is confident the next deal struck by Bolton Wanderers will be a significant financial step forward.
“Let’s be frank, the utopia is to have one sponsor for the stadium and the shirt in the same way that Etihad have for Manchester City or Emirates do for Arsenal, and Reebok used to partner here,” he told The Bolton News. “That is the best-case scenario but whether it is achievable, I am not convinced.
“Nothing is off the table and we will have lots of different conversations with lots of different brands to make the best decision for the club.
“One thing is for absolute certain, revenue will go up considerably. From Home Bargains to Service My Car we doubled that deal – and our intention is to over-double the stadium and rights deal that exists right now, that is the direction of travel we are going in.”
Wanderers have appointed SGI to do their bidding in the marketplace – but it is understood they have not yet had talks with sportswear firm Reebok, who sponsored the stadium, shirt and manufactured the kit until 2014 when the company was acquired by Adidas.
The likelihood of the company – which once had English football’s longest association with a single football club and remain inextricably linked with the stadium – reuniting at this point in time also look slim.
Hart says Wanderers would be “100 per cent open” to speaking with the sportswear firm, founded in 1958 by Bolton-based brothers Jeff and Joe Foster.
It is also understood that current sponsors The University of Bolton will be offered the chance to match any offer which comes in.
Hart has said, however, that certain offers would not be entertained.
“We won’t work with gambling firms, I can confirm that,” he said. “I don’t like the word excluded but we have chosen that policy.
“There are other areas and sectors we are also wary about, particularly the crypto world, so we will probably avoid that if I am being honest with you.
“I don’t see us going down that road – crypto, pay-day loans, I don’t think that would be the right partner for this football club. But we will look at other brands and partners on merit.”
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/22740335.bolton-wanderers-chief-confident-doubling-exiting-stadium-sponsorship-deal/ 
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