Kieran Maguire shares ‘huge’ Leeds United verdict after £135m deal struck
The owners at Leeds United could anger fans if they decide to sell the naming rights of Elland Road.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the pros and cons of Elland Road being renamed
The 49ers Enterprises announced a 10-year extension to their NFL stadium naming rights deal last month worth a staggering £135million.
The US group, who also own a majority stake at Leeds United, could look to replicate a similar deal with Elland Road once it is expanded or refurbished.
While the deal would likely provide millions of pounds in income to the club, it would see Elland Road renamed for the first time in its history.
Maguire insists Leeds fans would continue to name the stadium Elland Road regardless of a naming rights deal – which would consequently remove value from the agreement.
While a naming rights deal for Elland Road has got to be conceivable, the challenge will be that Leeds fans will always call it Elland Road,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“We’ve seen at other clubs such as Bolton – their ground is repeatedly referred to as the Reebok Stadium despite it having been renamed a few times.
“The same thing has happened at Coventry and other clubs – trying to get the name of a sponsor into the public consciousness is very difficult.
“This also tends to have a huge impact on the price that can be generated as a result.
“So there’s no downside to calling it something else unless Leeds take a similar route to that of Mike Ashley when he tried to enforce the Sports Direct sponsorship at Newcastle, which went down like a lead balloon with fans.“
In other news, Kieran Maguire says Leeds United are ahead of West Ham in race for landmark deal
