Don't want to start another "State of the Game" Thread but
https://coupler.foxsports.com.au/api...mpression=true
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Don't want to start another "State of the Game" Thread but
https://coupler.foxsports.com.au/api...mpression=true
Sent from my SM-A715F using Tapatalk
OH dear god!
What the chuff are they doing.
We are a joke!
Did you see the £40m sponsorship deal with kick & Clap further down the article.
Last edited by WidnesExile; 24th August 2020 at 09:38.
"Rugby League, a game for Professionals run by Amateurs"
It’s almost like there are some at the RFL that want the sport to fail if they see this as a good deal, their incompetence truly knows no bounds.
Isnt this just the same as ipro hydrate giving Saints free drinks? All they're getting in return is their logo on SL highlights on social media plus some advertising boards (when there's no one at the ground to see them).
It's not like the Stobart deal where we gave title sponsorship away for free.
Comparing this deal with Union's £40m deal for title sponsorship is just silly.
In fairness to the RFL, this is Super League Europe's brainchild as its Rhodri Jones' brainchild who is Chief Commercial Officer of SLE.
Though the deal is only about supplying Papa John's products to players and officials the reality is it's about so much more than that. It effectively sends out a loud signal that any sort of association with the game is worthless.
No doubt the powers that be are so gullible that you'll see GB stars munching pizza in a programme or flyer soon. In this case the image rights of those players and the commercial leverage that the game could use by their exposure has been flogged cheaper than a January fire sale.
The SLE or RFL have been quick to try to propagate the game 'is as strong as ever' for as long as I can recall. Is it? Or is the truth the game has been managed so appallingly that it's become an 'invisible game' and so craven for exposure that it has to flog any sort of commercial partnership for nothing.
I said before 'sponsorship' is dead and has been for some time. Growing business is about partnership these days. No credible business is going to come with a sack of cash and pay good money just to put its name on something. Those days are long, long gone. Its about what identity(idea, lifestyle, the attitude) they are get in return through their associations, i.e brand synergy. You only need to look at the sports commercial portfolio to see its identity is in the toilet: Northern Rail (ironic/apt as its so terribly run), Mushy Peas, Big Soup, Cash Converters, Dacia etc. The epitome of an unfashionable, skint and dated Northern oik.
I recall Nigel Farage infamous speech accusing MEP's of 'never having done a proper job or worked in business in their lives.' He could have said the same about most of our sport's leadership. The RFL seems riddled by cronies and backsliders whilst I've seen little evidence Elstone is about to deliver any sea change in this regard: his appearances in the press are unimpressive, the sport is still presented by its major partner (SKY) atrociously, and I've not noticed any tangible record of accomplishments.
Last edited by eddiewaringsflatcap; 24th August 2020 at 11:09.
I was sceptical about the SL coup: Elstone and the various chairmen did a lot of talking at the time about the game needing to move forward, which was true, but at no point was any detail provided on how this would happen. Nonetheless, it was only fair to give them a chance and see what they came up up with.
Granted, they’ve been dealt a stinking hand with the COVID situation, but this news has made up my mind. Giving away sponsorship for nothing as we build up to arguably the most critical broadcasting deal negotiations in the history of the game is so stupid it’s unbelievable.
Mushy Peas, Foxy bingo and now Papa John's Pizza............Oh dear. I think we can assume the chance of a big sponsor deal with a Blue Chip Company is now almost ZERO.
Wouldn't mind but Papa Johns is a pretty big name and an international brand. They are the 4th largest Pizza company in the States. The name isn't the problem it is the fact that they can afford to pay for advertising hoardings and Superleague negotiate some free Pizza for the players. Then brag about it.
The sport is being laughed at. Again.
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If it is just for the rest of this messed up season then i'm ok with it. It gives us a chance to get another potential sponsor onboard. If however it is for longer than that then it really is another stupid idea on a par with the Stobart fiasco.
Seems like Rugby League trying to find as many negatives as they can here and nothing else. Papa John’s are writing off a few grand a week (their large pizzas are going to be £20+ and each teams is bound to have 10+) and wanted something in returns for that and have got some advertising hoardings out of it.
I’m not sure that the game could expect much more than that really.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
We would have been better off not having a sponsor, rather than being the inevitable butt of jokes over this.
Youve totally missed my point above. PJ arent just supplying their product. They are going to enjoy all the spin offs that go with it, the game is so stupid I suspect theyve already promised flyers, features in programmes, endorsements by players etc. The game has sold them for nothing. Only an idiot would do it. I hadnt even considered Dux’s point that this is at a time when the sport is nearing a broadcast negotiation. Utter lunacy.
I also would question your calculations, reality is PJ are getting this for next to nothing. You can’t just use an individual price for a pizza to the general public to work out the value. At the very least the quantity in question would be discounted substantially as we are talking about wholesale type orders.
When negotiators look at our sport they must see Terry Ramsden!
I'm pretty much with you on this, but it's all about the narrative that's woven. It's a very minor and temporary sponsorship and should have been presented in a low-key way along the lines of "Papa John's will be providing post-match meals for players & officials. We hope this is the beginning of great relationship between SuperLeague and Papa John's". Time and again, the RL suits gleefully announce something as if it's a great or groundbreaking deal, when the reality is the opposite; this just invites ridicule.
Who knows, Papa John's may just be dipping their toes in the water with a view to becoming a more major sponsor for 2021
The article does say "The arrangement is in place until the end of the season and it’s believed Super League hope it can lead to a more financially appealing deal next year."
So, they must include extra toppings or Garlic Bread next season!
“As we have seen since the restart, Super League games are getting faster and harder and I know the players are grateful when they see so many pizzas to choose from after a tough 80 minutes.”
I read that and immediately thought it was a joke piece, and genuinely didn't take it seriously until I realised it was actually true. This quote could have been written by Alan Partridge, it's cheesier than a 14 inch three cheese special down at your Papa's.
Are we suggesting that players starved after games before this deal? Are we suggesting that pizza is now the nutrional choice of RL players? It's Sunday League stuff, trudging off the pitch down the local because the landlord has put on a spread of bacon and eggs. What a joke.
If you thought elstone was going to revolutionise the game then you will be (already are) massively disappointed. Absolutely useless in his time in football. Spent most of his time at Everton using all the amenities such as the gym and the sunbeds, hence, being given the nickname suntan bob!
Seriously, can you imagine writing that down and then thinking, 'yeah, that sounds good, let's stick it in the press release"? The players will be happy with the choice of pizzas, good lord, it's laughable. I'm not overly bothered by the 'deal' struck because our sport hasn't signed a good deal since cigarette advertising was banned, but instead of making it sound half professional we get that press release from the laptop of David Brent or Ron Burgundy.
Rhodri Jones, Chief Commercial Officer RL, that title in itself seems made up.
He was the Bulls marketing manager 2004-2005, along with Nobby that association is good enough to get you a career in abject failure in anything you choose. West Yorkshire Mafia anything they touch turns to s@ite once they get their way.
Get an advert in the paper asking "wanna be`s" to go and get a sponsorship deal for RL, we cannot do worse.
This ‘sponsorship’ is likely to be worth between 2-4k up to the end of the season, based on about 50 large pizza per game per week, say we have 13 weeks left at 5 games a week, needing approx 250 pizzas a week, 250x13= 3250 pizzas until the end of the season, Papa Johns do a large pizza for collection at £9.99, thats £3250, at commercial value. Surely the sport has to be worth more than this?
But even if they were making £30,000 worth of pizzas, if they are simply going down the players throats what benefit does it give to the game at large?
The only benefit I can see is if some of the forwards scoff too many, put some weight on and then we end up not being able to play second rowers in the three quarters, or vice versa.
Its of almost no benefit to the sport at all, maybe when fans get in to stadiums then the pizzas could be on sale for fans, but currently i fail to see any value in it, i dont see the players valuing it very much either, surely they dont want to eat stodge just after playing? I am sure if they wanted to provide good quality nutrition to players after the game there are far better options than a Papa Johns pizza.