Dragons open to selling Rodney Parade naming rights

Owners David Buttress, David Wright and Hoyoung Huh completed a takeover of the club from the Welsh Rugby Union last September in a deal that included the nine-acre site.

After a season of cost-cutting, the Dragons are looking to push on after another disappointing on-field campaign but key to doing that is driving up revenues.

Their sponsorship deal with Compeed, where chairman Wright was previously chief executive, has come to an end.

That means that there will be a new company on the front of the jerseys and also with naming rights for the stand on the Rodney Road side of the ground.

Manchester United warming up at Rodney Parade, where the Compeed Stand will have a new sponsor (Image: PA)

Sorting that in the coming weeks is a priority but in the future the Dragons could also look to bolt a sponsor in front of the name of the famous ground, like Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Wrexham's Stok Racecourse or the Kia Oval in cricket.

Given the history of the venue, which was created for Newport Athletic Club in 1877, it’s unlikely that a full renaming would happen.

Nor would that be especially attractive to sponsors, given that supporters would still refer to it as Rodney Parade.

The Dragons are exploring the possibility of naming rights, which could be a quick win with the presence of tenants League Two Newport County provides extra marketing value for any potential sponsors.

“We are in the process of replacing Compeed,” said chief executive Rhys Blumberg. “There are many conversations ongoing and it’s a priority to get that sorted.

“It will be the naming of the stand and the front of shirt, while there are conversations about a number of other things, including potentially naming rights for the whole site.

“If you are speaking to a big corporate organisation and can say that they could have EFL football, URC rugby and host special events at the ‘X stadium’ then it is compelling.

“It would be ‘X Rodney Parade’ but every time there was an event it would be clear to the broadcaster that they would have to refer to the stadium by its full name, so there is an opportunity there.”

The Dragons owners have made no secret of their desire to redevelop the Rodney Parade site and Blumberg has held meetings with Newport Council.

READ MORE: Dragons in talks over leisure facilities for city at Parade

While plans are made, the intention is to generate more funds through holding events with the chief executive saying that might not be limited to the ‘cabbage patch’ to the north.

HOME: Newport County packed out Rodney Parade for the win against Wrexham (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“We want to utilise the stadium as well,” said Blumberg. “Bear in mind that there is a temporary stand [at the southern end] that could be dropped for a huge production facing the whole stadium.

“We don’t commercialise the stadium enough, that’s a fact, so there is a massive opportunity for us.

“How do you move the dial on commercial revenue? There’s stadium naming rights but major events in one summer, along with smaller events that tick things over, can contribute towards a big commercial number.”