[Albion] Amex Stadium name change..

[chaileyjem]

The press release which mentions community 7 times - so club are aware of the trade off here without explicitly saying it ! - makes it pretty clear why .

Stadium - “better value for our partners “ - Ie: Amex have presumably requested it as they will get better name recognition. It’s their ££ after all.

BHA foundation - “connection to the club” - Ie better attribution for BHAFC - so change has come from club. I suspect.

The signage changes Office move and development outside the North were planned a while ago so it made sense to announce both now in advance of that work. ?

Not sure that the award winning community work Of the charity is directly affected here. As for stadium - the naming rights/ sponsorship - and Amex are pretty benign, have local connections certainly compared to the other PL alternatives.

 

[chaileyjem]

Just continue using the existing names in all correspondence, on here and especially at the Fans Forum.

It will drive them nuts.

A) why would fans want to drive Bloom, Barber, etc “nuts” ? Are they poor owners ? Mgt ?

B) the club, players and the media all call it the “Amex” - doubt that will change much and I doubt anyone would care if it was used in “correspondence” or on here.
Amex just want a cleaner name - they’ll be fine with continued use of “The Amex” - but presumably be pleased with “American Express Stadium” too.

 

[kevo]

I just hope no nright young smarty-pants has been paid good money for coming up with this - even more, I hope no posh agency or consultancy firm is now able to pay its executives enormous bonuses on the strength of this piece of work.

Mate of mine years ago worked on the rebranding of Spudulike (remember them?). They spent millions trying to find a new name for their outlets. They eventually came up with 'Baked Potatoes'.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

A well placed sauce tells me they saw the Fans Advisory Board outside Millets this morning before opening.

This is going to be a long drawn out process and I for one am glad they are taking it to the club head on, all be it in a prepared fashion.

Community IN

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I'm interested in what the changes to the stadium will be - signage was mentioned, anything else?

Industry hoovers have started sucking out any particle of community I believe. Oh and apparently they’ve cleaned the roof

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

How many of us have ever included the 'Community' part of the name previously ?
I would suggest very few.
It makes sense to tidy it up.

I’ve heard it in the east side of the north but never by the police box

 

[Brovion]

Was it though? Has it ever been a Community Stadium on a non matchday, or is it just a private venue hired out to make £££?

At least they've addressed that and will presumably make a few more quid out of it. A bit of a shame but not really a huge surprise.

I was going to mention that. Obviously during the planning battle we stressed the 'community' aspect to emphasise the fact that we, the community, wanted a new home for our football team, but apart from that exactly how was it a 'community' stadium? Were community groups able to use the facilities for free? Will community useage now be stopped? If so then fair enough changing the name is a bit poor, #barberout, etc. However if it was always a commercial venture and is really just a home for a professional football team, then, well, *shrug*.

Slightly more surprised at the AITC name change. Not so sure about that, but as has been mentioned organisations do rebrand for a number of reasons. And I still call the blind servicemen's charity 'St Dunstans'.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

If already said , good , if not - perhaps to do with the Yanky pre-season . The team from the AMERICAN EXPRESS STADIUM .

WE havn`t forget the Community , never have never will .

I was going to mention that. Obviously during the planning battle we stressed the 'community' aspect to emphasise the fact that we, the community, wanted a new home for our football team, but apart from that exactly how was it a 'community' stadium? Were community groups able to use the facilities for free? Will community useage now be stopped? If so then fair enough changing the name is a bit poor, #barberout, etc. However if it was always a commercial venture and is really just a home for a professional football team, then, well, *shrug*.

Slightly more surprised at the AITC name change. Not so sure about that, but as has been mentioned organisations do rebrand for a number of reasons. And I still call the blind servicemen's charity 'St Dunstans'.

Indeed.

Certainly in 12 months time when fans from across the County are likely hit with massive £ increases as the travel subsidy gets all-but scrapped after a 'consultation' (ha) it won't feel a community stadium but that's modern football for you, all about £££.

I wonder which marketing bod has made a small fortune out if the AITC rebrand. BHAF is still a bit wordy isn't it.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Missed the media release as I was cooking dinner.

Here it is for anyone who is interested…

MEDIA RELEASE: NEW NAMES FOR A NEW SEASON

From 1 August 2023, our stadium will be called American Express Stadium and our charitable arm will be re-named Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.

Also, from September this year the foundation will be moving our community-focused staff and operations away from the stadium and into the city centre, right at the heart of the community it serves.

Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said, “This summer, with the support of our partner American Express, our stadium will be re-named American Express Stadium, while our charitable arm, Albion in the Community, will become the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.

“These small but important changes are designed to deliver even better value to our main partner, while also more closely aligning and connecting our charity’s excellent work and its many participants with our club.

“Our partnership with American Express, which began when the stadium first opened and our club was in League One, is now globally recognised, and our multi award-winning work in the community is widely regarded as among the best in the world.”

Senior vice president at American Express Beverly Sawyers added, “We’re immensely proud of our 13-year partnership with the club, which is based on shared values and a passion for our community. Fans are always top of mind for both the club and ourselves, and we are sure they’ll really enjoy the refreshed look and feel of the stadium once the changes are complete.”

Work to change some of the stadium’s signage begins immediately to be in place for the start of next season’s new adventures, while other more significant changes to the look and feel of the stadium will be made over the next 12 months.

Underlining the charity’s commitment to being at the heart of our community, Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation will move to a brand-new facility in Freshfield Road, Brighton later this summer. Located in the heart of our city, the Foundation’s new headquarters will become the focal point for all its community-related activities.

ENDS

'Senior vice president at American Express Beverly Sawyers added, “We’re immensely proud of our 13-year partnership with the club, which is based on shared values and a passion for our community.'

In fact we're so proud that we're going to remove the word 'community' from the stadium name...

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I wonder what Ipswich fans will make of this.

 

[227 BHA]

Ffs,I have always called it the Amex and will carry on calling it the Amex.

All they’ve done is drop the word “community”
Amex was never the name, it was always only an abbreviation. Nothing has changed in that respect

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I suppose that's because there's no appetite for it. It's not in Brighton, nor Hove. Just the middle of bloody nowhere.

If Amex ever walk it should be renamed the in-ACCESS-ible stadium

An inflexible find

Falmer still somehow manages to wangle a BN1 postcode though. How does that work? Friends of mine used to live directly opposite the Royal Pavilion and were only granted a measly BN2

 

[smillie's garden]

The twin removal of the word “community”, whilst trying to infer we’re now *more* community is just odd.

I get that sponsors get to name the stadium but surely they shouldn’t name a charity.

Am I missing something?

 

[HeaviestTed]

I still happily eat marathons and clean up with jif, I’ll deal with this change one opal fruit at a time.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I was going to mention that. Obviously during the planning battle we stressed the 'community' aspect to emphasise the fact that we, the community, wanted a new home for our football team, but apart from that exactly how was it a 'community' stadium? Were community groups able to use the facilities for free? Will community useage now be stopped? If so then fair enough changing the name is a bit poor, #barberout, etc. However if it was always a commercial venture and is really just a home for a professional football team, then, well, *shrug*.

Slightly more surprised at the AITC name change. Not so sure about that, but as has been mentioned organisations do rebrand for a number of reasons. And I still call the blind servicemen's charity 'St Dunstans'.

It has been used for kids camping out at the end of the season, REMF matches, and occasional concerts but that has gone now.
I agree the Community part of it was strong when fighting for planning permission, so seems strange to ditch it now.
Whose idea was it? American Express? Paul Barber OBE?

 

[BrightonCottager]

As a planorak, I find this more interesting as it was the perceived economic benefits to Moulsecoomb (in the 10% most deprived communities in the country) that gave John Prescott the justification to argue that the stadium would be in the national interest and could therefore be located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Is this a tacit acknowledgement
that those community benefits to Moulsecoomb no longer exist?

 

[amexer]

More corporate space, similar to the Heineken Lounge in the South Stand.

How much space do they occupy and is it first floor level

 

[chaileyjem]

Indeed.

Certainly in 12 months time when fans from across the County are likely hit with massive £ increases as the travel subsidy gets all-but scrapped after a 'consultation' (ha) it won't feel a community stadium but that's modern football for you, all about £££.

I wonder which marketing bod has made a small fortune out if the AITC rebrand. BHAF is still a bit wordy isn't it.

Albion froze season ticket prices for nearly three years, and this year it’s gone up by 4% - a lower increase than 16 other clubs. Do you really think implication club are making ££ hay / don’t care about cost of living etc will stick. ?
And What has The travel scheme got to do with a stadium name or sponsorship (which we’ve now had for 13 years) ?
As for this “marketing bod - ha ha - making a fortune - then what is it ? Barber is a money making cost cutter leeching the fans OR so ineffectual that he’s blind to marketing scams and prepared to cough up ££ over the odds for them ?? Ha!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I think we should also get rid of the Hove part of the clubs name.
We don’t play there anymore.
I doubt many of us use the name when talking about our club.
It would make sense to tidy it up……what do you think?

And while we're having a general tidy up, shouldn't we drop 'By The Sea' from GOSBTS to appear more inclusive to those from Mid-Sussex?

 

[chaileyjem]

It has been used for kids camping out at the end of the season, REMF matches, and occasional concerts but that has gone now.
I agree the Community part of it was strong when fighting for planning permission, so seems strange to ditch it now.
Whose idea was it? American Express? Paul Barber OBE?

It was used for an REMF match and the Sussex Senior Cup Final (that Albion weren’t in) just a few weeks ago.