Since when has RL been linked to Bingo (or MUFC to paint) to need a partner? Happy with the money but this "official ..... partner" is just ridiculous. Official kit partner, or ball partner or whatever ok, but bingo? Really?

I'm going for Cathedral City as official cheese partner next

And online, to the tune of about 600 million quid a year; your view of the industry appears to be based on 1970's sitcoms and crashingly obvious southern snobbery.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, for all their failings the RFL have just persuaded a cash rich global company to invest in RL - fair play.

Would you not prefer a Vodafone, O2, or similar rather than an online Bingo company! I suppose it could have been worse and been a camp site company in North Wales or Cleethorpes

Maybe if we become a national sport in the future we may attract this type of sponsor- But for now lets be happy with what Woody has brought home.

It's interesting that Stobart have just announced they have pulled out of transporting refrigerated goods. Wasn't it the refrigerated trucks that supported the Superleague images as they were the ones with the rigid sides? I wonder how much Stobart's own financial position influenced the end of the arrangement?

Good to hear that we finally have some sponsorship news. Hopefully Foxy will promote us a bit as well given that this has been announced as a partnership. When Saints announce a partnership it usually means there is a bit of mutual promotion, albeit fairly limited normally.

I've got nothing against online bingo - I don't play it and I sincerely hope my wife doesn't, but I won't sniff at a company that has a 13% market share of a business worth £600 million per year, and neither would you if you had any sense.

Feel free to hold out for the Fortnum and Mason Super League, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Really bad image, the game deserves much better and is looking cheap and vanishing in stature year on year.

On the plus side we could call Eddie + Stevo...two little ducks or two fat ladies.

Yeah I agree.



By the way, are Stones Bitter still going these days?

People seem to be knocking this without looking at the credentials of the company. Yes they're a bingo company and some people may think that looks tacky, however, they have a massive audience as the largest online bingo site.

All it means is that there will be a few advertising hoardings and perhaps an advert associated with the games. It's not like it's being re branded the 'Foxy Bingo Super League'.

Each to their own, but I for one would much rather have the list of sponsors and partners the RFU has compared to the RFL...02 Pay 5 million a year for a shirt sponsorship deal on a shirt worn about 9 times a year....Stobbart paid nothing last year for SL, Aviva 5 pay million a year, BMW, RBS, Guinness, Marriot, QBE etc...compared to Heinz Big Soup, Foxy Bingo, IRN BRU, with only Gillette bucking the trend and they only paid 30k for naming rights to the last 4 nations AND shirt sponsorship up to 2014.


BTW...Heineken claim to have spent 100 million in 20 years of Rugby Sponsorship...I doubt stones bitter could compete

Only in Sheffield.

Not even kidding.

I'm sure the ridicule and loathing repeatedly heaped upon those businesses who bother to become involved in the game is a great benefit. The RFL make mistakes, but the game's large number of f[ie[/ickwit fans are even more responsible for holding it back.

I feel embarrassed for the game that we cannot procure a well known brand global company to sponsor and "shop window" our sport.
The RFL and its marketing strategy and sponsor links when you think can,t get any worse always seem to manage to widen the gap between our other competitive sports.
We lost 2 sponsors last year and lost millions in sports funding, as I said earlier the game deserves so much more........embarrassing.

yep 74,000 people regularly go to Old Trafford watch it dry.

the Irony for me , Today RFL lands a Bingo Partner , and the RFU announce RBS's extention to the 6 nations Rah rah deal worth 44M over 4 years.. sums it up really continents away from NRL's sponsorship power , worlds away from RFU.s .
[url=http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/sports-business/13555-rbs-lands-44m-six-nations-deal.phpRBS Lands 44m Six Nations Deal[/url

Why are you so embarrassed? When did RL ever have such a global company on board?

I think some of you just need to accept were your league stands when it comes to sponsorship, and give over tryin to compare it with its union counterpart!.

Reading this, it is blatantly clear that some posters have absolutely no knowledge or understanding of how these things work, yet are quick to condemn the deal. Foxy are partnered with Real Madrid and MUFC, yet the SL deal is panned. I have never heard anyone complain about the Keno Replay, Keno being an Aussie version of bingo...

A hell of a lot of RL fans cannot be pleased, no matter what the RFL does.

Why would O2 or Vodafone want to be our Official Bingo Partner?

Makes me laugh how some fans are moaning about this partnership. They were probably the same fans who moaned about rejecting the betting company last year in favour of Stobart.

Good start. As the third biggest team sport in the country with good tv audiences and decent media Covg to over 15 million people I am amazed companies are not interested in getting in bed with SL. For a relative low expenditure compared to other sports sponsorships you can get major exposure for 9 months of the year. All I can think is the corporate arm of the rfl is very poor at their jobs.

We can't now get a sponsor because of the joke we had last year. I hope the chairman who voted to put pictures on the sides of lorries are proud of themselves

Oh, but some will tell you that we need the 'critical ones' to 'move forward, otherwise we won't know what's wrong with the sport!'

It never will until its played in other parts of the country, Europe World. Thats what some are saying. Get the game out of the M62 or we will forever have "nothing" sponsors paying 5 bob. Hence why we need a successful London franchise-I know the parochial fans in the M62 cant see any further than there local team playing in a run down stadium but we need to face the facts. Industry is speaking here(Bingo!!)

Keep the game in a 10 mile radius of Wigan, Leeds and Hull and the game will die

Exactly!

Unfortunately some are still stuck in 1972 and think it should still be like the way it was because it was "great back then". Times change and we need teams in different areas............and before any smart-ar$e comes along saying "Crusaders".........it just needs doing right and not being rushed.