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For those still moaning…

...about the (lack of) dignity of 'King Power Stadium', how about this:

"Manchester City have confirmed the City of Manchester Stadium will be renamed the Etihad Stadium after signing a 10-year deal with the airline."

Now there's a name to conjure with. Oh, hang on, I must have been thinking of 'abracadabra'.

posted on 8/7/11

I suspect, in reality, that a lot of fans will simply continue to call it the Walkers. It's much less of a mouthful than The King Power and is what we've all grown used to over the last decade; it's kind of become the name of the stadium anyway. It'll be referred to as the King Power Stadium in the media of course, but I can't see that catching on with the fans.

Also, with Man City you can bet your bottom dollar that the beeb et al will stop calling it Eastlands now. The club weren't likely to complain when it was just the C of M Stadium, but now there's corporate money involved the media will be forced to refer to it by it's sponsored name. Again, the fans will just continue to call it Eastlands though.

posted on 8/7/11

Well, Man City will still get Etihad's sponsorship money no matter what the media call the stadium. I'm sure Man City fans will still call it Eastlands. fatfox is right that stadium names are usually picked up via the media so whatever the media call a stadium is what that stadium will be known as.

comment by Fox_14 (U2869)

posted on 8/7/11

Fatfox, I'm not bothered about what the BBC call it. The point that I'm trying to make is that the ground needs to have it's own identity with the fans.

You refer to the Reebok and the Emirates but they're not really examples to use because they've never been called anything else.

When I talked to my old Grandad, he'd say 'I was there at Filbert Street the night that Chandler scored six goals against Portsmouth' and I could relate to that coz I still went to Filbert Street at the time.

If in future years I tell my Grandchildren 'I was at the Walkers when Jordan Stewart scored the first ever goal against Watford. And I was at the King Power when Andy King scored four goals against Forest. And I was also at the Pukka Pie Stadium when Shlupp scored the winner to get us into the last stages of the Champions League' - it doesn't quite feel the same does it?

Maybe I'm just turning into an old bu gger.

comment by glynnak (U3329)

posted on 8/7/11

If youre not sure about the new name you only have to watch this tv advert on thai tv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2v_a6UabZI

I think the players shown in the 2nd half of this are svens targets for nexty season

posted on 8/7/11

Well, Man City will still get Etihad's sponsorship money no matter what the media call the stadium.

That is true, but Etihad have taken out that sponsorship with the expectation that the media will refer to the stadium with their name. Therefore lots of coverage of Man City = lots of mentions of Etihad by virtue of their stadium name. Clubs wield a lot of power nowadays (look at SAF refusing to talk to the beeb) and if Man City insist that it's the Etihad Stadium, then the Etihad Stadium it shall be.

comment by glynnak (U3329)

posted on 8/7/11

£120 million? thats peanuts to them (and us)

comment by fatfox (U4031)

posted on 8/7/11

No, KP is peanuts. £120 million is money.

Speaking of which, since we've gone from The Walkers to The KP, couldn't the council simply rename the road Snack Street?

posted on 9/7/11

Etihad is Arabic for united!!!

posted on 9/7/11

I actually like the name 'King Power.'

Just imagine Brian Blessed shouting it.

There you go.

posted on 9/7/11

If Chinese take over, to simplify matters, they may as well call it the King Po stadium.

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