The WRU today announced that the Millennium Stadium would be renamed the Principality Stadium after a new partnership deal with The Principality Building Society.
This will be the first time the stadium has changed name since it was built in 1999. According to WalesOnline, the 10-year deal could be worth up to £15m. The ground will officially become The Principality Stadium on January 1, 2016, and will remain as the Millennium Stadium for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
The iconic stadium in Cardiff and home of Welsh rugby becomes the latest in an increasingly long line of rugby stadiums to be renamed after a sponsorship agreement. Here are a few of the others that have preceded it:
BT Murrayfield – Scotland & Edinburgh
Kingspan Stadium – Ulster
AJ Bell Stadium – Sale Sharks
Emirates Airline Park – Lions
Aviva Stadium – Ireland
BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park – Cardiff Blues
Growthpoint Kings Park – Sharks
WRU CEO Roger Lewis said: “This is a landmark day for Welsh rugby and a celebration of our association with Principality Building Society. It’s the result of over 10 months of detailed negotiation, based upon the naming rights search which we launched a number of years ago.
“The fit with Principality Building Society is perfect. We have had an association with them for a number of years in a range of rugby ways, not least their sponsorship of the Premiership division.
“They are committed to supporting the communities of Wales with over 50 branches employing 1000 staff across the nation.
“Most importantly, it’s a business model that is similar to that of the WRU. The Principality is a mutual organisation which means it is owned by its 500,000 members, ie those who hold accounts. The WRU, in turn, is owned by our 340 member clubs.
“As such, I can think of no better fit for the stadium than the Principality Building Society. Together we wear the red of our nation with pride.
“This moment should not pass without a debt of gratitude offered to the Millennium Commission. Their contribution towards the building of our national stadium in 1999 was recognised in its original naming.
“I sincerely hope that as well as celebrating international rugby at the Principality Stadium, the time is right to celebrate football as well. We would welcome the FAW back to our stadium as soon as possible.”
What is your opinion on stadiums being renamed after sponsors? Will you ever refer to them under their new branded names, or will they remain under their old monikers?
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It will always be Cardiff Arms Park too me
It was never Cardiff Arms Park Dai. That was always, and still is, next door.
Even when the National Stadium was the ground next door, anything behind the Gwyn Nichols gates was Cardiff Arms Park, mun!
It will always be the Millenium Stadium to me just like I will always ommit the BT from the front of Murrayfield.
Bit like the residents of Mumbai still refer to it as Bombay and only the ignorant tourists call it the new name of Mumbai
Leon, why does calling Mumbai, Mumbai suggest ignorance?
Ok ignorance is a bit strong, the point im trying to make is that the people who care about the place still have a strong emotive attachment to the name Bombay and reject the name Mumbai
Lol I’ll have to call it millennium stadium cos I’m now sure how to pronounce the other and keep a straight face
I’m sorry Brighty but I did laugh when I saw this headline, based on the lecture that you gave me a few years ago about not calling Wales a Principality! I might not be able to keep a straight face when I go there in October.
On a slightly more serious note, it really annoys me when they change the names of stadiums, although I accept that they get a shed load of cash for doing it. The only time it really works is when it’s a new stadium, as otherwise everyone except the media just call it by its old name anyway. I also think there was more style in the older names – Cardiff Arms Park, Parc des Princes, etc. Probably will always be the Millennium Stadium to me, but having said that, the new name could be worse, looking at a couple of the examples above.
Ha, it’s a good point Staggy and I have been having a few discussions on Twitter about the unfortunate name. No doubt it’ll get misread as “The Stadium Of The Principality” by some. Most don’t mean any harm, they just genuinely think we are a principality and most will never have heard of this building society (does it even operate outside Wales?).
It’s ~£1.5m a year we didn’t have before so it’s better than nothing but from what I’ve heard it doesn’t seem to be a very competitive deal. Murrayfield is more like £4m a year. However – I agree with you, the whole thing seems odd and I can’t believe anyone pays any money to do this to established stadiums. I agree it can work if they’re new (the Aviva is always the Aviva to me) but I forget myself that the Arms Park is now the BT Sport Arms Park and I’m there most weeks.
Where the hell is the aVIVA? I’ve never been – I still go to Lansdowne Road.
Seemingly Anne Summers is in negotiations to rename it when it cums up for renewal. Whores IRFU…………
It’s funny when people force names on places they never seem right – Derry – Free Derry – Londonderry- best not go there. Beautiful day here in the Republic hope it’s good in the Principality.
As you know – your friend and lover of all things welsh
DDD
The AVIVA is that one where on matchdays they have to pop down to the garden centre to borrow some plastic chairs to put down the unfinished end.
Can’t put plastic chairs down there – they’ll melt just like the roof.
DDD
Whatever it is called it still contains ‘Gareth’s Gap’ as 1 part of the ground has 2 tiers and not 3 after Cardiff RFC refused to allow part of their stand to be rebuilt and incorporated into the new stadium.
Enoch is in to cheer everybody up, Yey.
Had to laugh when I saw the headline wales main stadium renamed the Principality? Geddit?