Actually, the sponsorship contract was only supposed to bring in a little money…
English fifth division club Southend United have sold the naming rights to the West Stand at Roots Hall (12,392 seats) to small local real estate agents Gilbert & Rose. So far, so unspectacular…
The only problem is that the West Stand is now called the Gilbert & Rose West Stand – and thus like the English serial killer Rose West (68), who, with her husband Fred, tortured and murdered nine young girls and their eight-year-old stepdaughter between 1973 and 1987. West has been in prison since 1995 after human remains were found at her home in Gloucester, England.
And that’s exactly what triggered a huge scandal in the English coastal town of Southend-on-Sea!
One angry fan tweeted: “Only Southend United could have had a West Stand sponsor called Gilbert & Rose, which inevitably led to the Gilbert & Rose West Stand.”
The serial killers Fred (left) and Rose West caused terror in England in the 1970s and 1980s
Other supporters are now demanding a renaming, if necessary without the sponsorship contract with the real estate agency Gilbert & Rose.
Southend United in a statement: “We are grateful for the sponsorship of Gilbert & Rose for the upcoming season and look forward to working with them on a range of areas including community projects. However, we can understand the fans and will try to find a solution.
As the English “Telegraph” reports, the fifth division team from England’s south is now considering a name change. Accordingly, the names “Gilbert & Rose Stand”, “G&R West Stand” or “West Stand sponsored by Gilbert & Rose” are up for debate.
However, this leads to the next problem for Southend United: the club would have to have all prepared tickets and season tickets reprinted.
And: In addition, all signs and banners in the stadium are already designed with the controversial name. These should remain now, otherwise the costs for the renaming would be higher than the sponsorship contract actually brings in.
Maybe Southend will consider changing the name of the stadium BEFORE the sponsorship deal in the future…
