The Magpies have work to do if they are to close the gap on the likes of Man City and Arsenal as Euro big guns show the way with huge sponsor deals at stadiums
St James' Park ahead of the Champions League clash between Newcastle United and Barcelona
Newcastle United's St James' Park ahead(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
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Newcastle United's move to secure a £6million a year deal and finally strike a deal to sponsor the club's Benton base has been deemed a major positive by the fanbase.
The three-year deal with KNOX Hydration - the world’s fastest-growing hydration brand - kicks in from July 1. It is expected to tie United over until they are ready to make the move to a new HQ believed to be based in Woolsington near the airport.
As Toon CEO, David Hopkinson announced the deal, it came with a vow of: "More to come". One of the most noteworthy points on the deal was the fact it was a sponsor acquired who have no ties with the club's main backers PIF, unlike a string of recent commercial arrangements.
Chronicle Live understands that Newcastle are now in talks on their next big move which could be the club's main shirt sponsor Sela. That deal expires in the summer and has been worth £25million per year for the last three seasons.
The deal was struck by Amanda Staveley during her time as director but Hopkinson is very much at the centre of either renewing that partnership or replacing it with something more lucrative.
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When PIF took over the club, the new board discovered the low value of existing deals, hence why partnerships with Puma and Fun88 were concluded early. Hopkinson may adopt a similar stance on certain deals, especially as the £25m a year deal with Sela is less than half some of the club's Premier League rivals.
Man City are picking up £67m a year for their deal with Etihad Airways, while Man United earn £60m a year with Snapdragon. The likes of Barcelona (Spotify) and Paris St-Germain (Qatar Airways) pocketed similar numbers, meaning there is room for improvement for the Magpies as they look to close the gap on competitors.
The prospect of a stadium-naming rights remains well and truly open for Newcastle, although, unlike the training ground, it would require more consultation with the fanbase than this week's training ground sponsor announcement. Hopkinson has no qualms about meeting with supporters and has been in place at recent fan advisory board meetings while also holding two round table sessions with written journalists since his appointment back in the autumn.
After plenty of talk that Newcastle would wait until they move training ground, the KNOX deal underlined that opinions behind the scenes are changing slightly under Hopkinson's leadership. That's why stadium-naming rights at the current St James' Park, rather than a refurbished ground or new stadium project, feels more of a possibility now.
Considering Barca pick up around £18m per year for naming rights with Spotify at the Nou Camp and Bayern Munich hoover up £12m a year for a deal with Allianz at the Munich Football Arena, it is certainly food for thought as Newcastle attempt to climb into football's elite in time for 2030.
Aaron Ramsdale and William Osula net top awards for March
There's no doubt there were some gloomy moments in March for Newcastle with a derby defeat plus two cup exits to Man City and Barcelona ending hopes of silverware.
Despite some of that pain, Ramsdale picked up the Coca-Cola Save of the Month award for March for a stunning stop in the 2-1 win over Man United. Ramsdale's save to deny Joshua Zirkzee was a public vote and saw off the competition of Arsenal's David Raya, Jordan Pickford of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur's Guglielmo Vicario to win the monthly gong as well as Emi Martinez of Aston Villa and Sunderland's Melker Ellborg.
Newcastle made it a double header of awards as Osula picked up the prize for Guinness Goal of the Month. Osula's wonderful late strike beat off competition from Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest, Alex Iwobi of Fulham and Iliman Ndiaye of Everton for the monthly gong, as well as Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and Aston Villa's John McGinn.
United chiefs invite fans to share ideas on improvements to club website and app
Newcastle's top brass are looking to improve their website and app - and want fans to join them to bring some new ideas to the table.
A club invite read: "Join us for our Digital Ideas and Feedback Workshop, at St. James' Park or online, on Thursday, April 23.
"The club will host a digital workshop to review progress and discuss ongoing digital improvements with the Newcastle United website and app.
"We're asking fans to bring their thoughts and insight. We'll do a rundown of what's happening with all our digital products, then it's over to you for your ideas and feedback."
Details of how to get involved are on the club's website.