Wonga renames Newcastle United's stadium
Newcastle United's new sponsors Wonga have announced they will rename the club's stadium St James' Park.
Today the football club announced a new four year deal which will see the internet loan company become the club's lead commercial sponsor.
Wonga also secured the naming rights to the stadium, currently known as the Sports Direct Arena, and will reinstate the old name of St James' Park.
But the decision was met with anger on Tyneside with council leaders and MPs expressing reservations with the deal.
– FANZINE EDITOR MARK JENSEN, FROM WWW.THEMAG.CO.UK"It's a clever move and clearly has been done in part to deflect some of the criticism of the business they have agreed the sponsorship with.
The fans will be over the moon that the name will be back to what it's always been.
But there will be mixed emotions on the subject as it's a sad indictment of today's society that a company like that is doing so well."
– NICK FORBES, LEADER OF NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL"I'm appalled and sickened that they would sign a deal with a legal loan shark.
I fear the long term social consequences of the decision and I will be writing to Mike Ashley and asking for him to fund the extra debt advice that we will need to provide as a result.
Newcastle United is a role model for thousands of people so what they do matters.
It sets the tone for the city and I don't want this to be a city built on an image of cheap and irresponsible debt."
– DEREK LLAMBIAS, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NEWCASTLE UNITED"We are building a club that can regularly compete for top honours at the highest level.
As everyone knows, a strong commercial programme is vital to this goal and I am delighted to welcome Wonga into the fold as our lead commercial partner, alongside Puma and Sports Direct.
Throughout our discussions Wonga's desire to help us invest in our young playing talent, the local community and new fan initiatives really impressed us and stood them apart from other candidates."
