Club sponsor Carlsberg, who have held Liverpool’s sponsorship for 18 years, will commence discussions on a new deal at the end of the season – when Rick Parry has departed the club.
Speaking to The Independent newspaper, Gareth Roberts – Carlsberg’s UK head of Sponsorship, indicated that stadium naming rights will form part of the discussion with the LIverpool FC management. And with present circumstances, this could relate not to a new stadium – but to the existing Anfield ground.
Upon arrival at Anfield, both Tom Hicks and George Gillette did not rule out the ability to include stadium naming rights as part of a new deal, and with the pair having placed Liverpool in to more than £300 million of debt, and around £30 million of interest payments per year to find it seems that the sanctity of Anfield may be another price the world’s greatest football club may have to pay.
The financial difficulties of the American owners has been well documented and Carlsberg have admitted it has been a ‘distraction’ to the club.
“The stadium is a big step of their progression in the future and we want to be part of that.
“The best thing is they [Hicks and Gillett] seem to have resolved the internal issues and they are going to take the next step. We need to understand where they are going with the stadium [but] we are really ambitious that they get the next step right as it will take them into the next stage of their progression [as a club] as well. They have done very well taking the next step in the league but it is about them setting the platform for the future.”
Get ready to take your seat at The Carlsberg Stadium.