I wonder if we could offer sponsorship to a company. In exchange the club could carry that company's name.

Nike Cougars has a nice ring to it.

Would it work and who could we offer it to?

I hate the concept of having corporate sports names.

It's selling out the identity of the club.

The following real corporate club names are just cringeworthy.

New York Red B*lls
Red B*ll Salzburg
FC Superfund
Phillips SV Eindhoven
Technogroup Welshpool
Total Network Solutions ( To whom Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday always used to say "They'll be dancing in the streets of Total Network Solutions tonight" when ever they won)
Energie Cottbus
NEC Harlequins
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now known as Anaheim Ducks after Disney sold them)

If we did it we'd be a laughing stock.

Is it, or more a case of getting more publicity?



No we wouldn't. We would once again be leading the way and showing other clubs how it is done.
Also if the deal was a good one. It would help improve the ground and maybe playing staff as well.

I don't believe the mantra that all publicity is good publicity.



So do you envisage a fixture list in 20 years time being something like this.

Nike Cougars vs Br*dford Red B*lls

Nestlé Blue Sox vs Tesco Warriors

Asda Rhinos vs Forgemasters Eagles

NEC Harlequins vs BAE Systems Raiders

ICI Vikings vs Ikea Wolves

I couldn't think of much worse to be honest.

Money and a nice ground aren't the be all and end all. I come down to Cougar Park not just to watch good rugby and have a good craic. I come because it's my home town's team, something I can identify with, relate to, be proud of. Could I do that with a corporate named team, I'm not sure.

Call me a flatcapper and a communist if you want, but I think our game should be more about the fans and the players. I'd hate to see our game going along the lines of what football has, selling it's soul to become a plaything for Arab Oil Barons, Russian Oiligarchs and American Conglomerates.

I agree Stealth, the identity is bound up with the home town as long as the town's name is present. As soon as you lose that, the team (Asda Cougars for example) could play anywhere, it wouldn't matter. No-one outside of Keighley would have a clue where it was.

Keep Keighley. I am a Bulls fan but enjoy watching the Cougars play. Selling the name wouldn't be right. You've been Keighley Cougars for god knows how many years taking that away, like someone said before, is taking away a proud club's identity.

Can anyone remember the gotcha that Look North (I think) played on Mike Smith and Mick O’Neil at the height of Cougarmania?

Actors posed as Arab billionaires who wanted to invest heavily in the club but the catch was we would have to change our name to reflect an Arabian theme - namely from Keighley Cougars to Keighley Kar-mels (Camels)





The problem is that most clubs operate on the very limit of (and beyond) financial prudence, so any sniff of money would be grabbed with open arms. I am sure Wakefield directors would sell their soul to the devil if it meant super league survival.

a minor piece of pedantry: Phillips Sports Vereeniging Eindhoven has been Phillips Sports Vereeniging Eindhoven as long as its existed: it started out as the team of the works sports and social club.


However, anybody thinking of selling their club name for cash should be shot - it's what RU clubs do. Remember Earth Titans anyone?

Aye







They were all up for agreeing to the banning of women from the ground , and if I remember correctly the building of a small minneret on top of the scrattin shed roof...

So, if Cas fall short of funding for the new stadium and your ”business tycoon” offers you a bail out, wouldn’t you consider being the “Probiz Tigers” for a while?

Would this be preferable to spending another, possibly permanent, spell in the championship?

What would your directors think?

A question for you and Stealth.

If (i know its a big if, but play along) a big company came in and said, "we will give you enough money to get you into SL. All we ask is instead of using Keighley Cougars, you will have to use our name".

Would you still come down and watch or would you stop watching?

The problem I seem to have is that I don't see SL as the be-all and end-all of rugby league. I kind of like being able to stand, have a beer in a decent bar, room to move around...
if all it's about is getting into SL, I think we've all pretty much sold our souls anyway. From there, selling the name and identity is just a small step.

Remember that our whole revival as a club in the early 90's kicked in when the directors allowed our fans to vote on a new name which gave us the [i"Keighley Cougars"[/i we know today.

When stupidleague was first mooted and we were refused entry, I seem to remember all sorts of last minute proposals by Smith and O'Neil including us playing out of Turf Moor and a change of name to the [i"Pennine Cougars"[/i. As directors they were trying to assure the best future for the club in difficult circumstances.

Now, if someone could come up with a firm business plan that would benefit the long term future of the club, allow us to improve our infrastructure, facilities (stadium), and players and continue the fantastic work in the community, then we would be foolish not to consider it.

For what it's worth, I'm not fussed about superleague. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if we could build the club to a point where we could qualify and compete, and let's face it if Castleford, a small town near Wakefield, can do it then why can't we?

Like Mick has said, I enjoy the whole social experience of championship rugby and any name change offer would have to be something amazing to make me want to agree.

I for one am sick of championship rugby.
I want to see Cougars playing the best in the land.

I have great days. going to see SL games and meeting mates i have from those clubs.

Dreamer you can still enjoy the whole social experience, its just as good in SL.

When I first moved back up here from dahn sahf, that wasn't my experience! We spent a season watching the Bulls

and it didn't really click.
And yet here we are, week in and week out, at Cougar Park...

I'm not sure to be honest.

I'd certainly feel disenfranchised from the club. Would an unprecidented level of sucess change that? I doubt it.

Apart from the likes of Cas and Wakey and possibly Salford , who the RFL really want to be rid of anywhere ...then no, its nowhere near the same in SL.

Go to Wigan , Saints or Leeds , are you truly telling me that the everyday Supporters can mingle with the players ??

Go to Headingley, Odsal , Huddersfield , or the KC and you'll be served beer in a plastic bottle at inflated prices by a different person week in week out....

Even in the Championship we are seeing the same ,as the RFL pressure clubs away from the traditional grounds and down the multi use / all seater routes you can add Doncaster to that list , along with Leigh , Widnes and Fax as well .We are not football and its time the RFL realised that , with petty rules, over officious stewards/ security and rip off prices prevalent in the new venues , along with soulless atmospheres.

For my mind the level we should be aiming at is where Featherstone are at now, Post Office Road is a cracking little ground , with facilities to cope for 7,000 plus spectators , without alienating the core support and now a team that is challenging at the top of the Championship.

The only exception I'd add to all this is Harlequins , much as I'm an RL supporter , union clubs have a reputation of whatever level they reach of always attempting to keep that sense of 'community ' amongst their support and the RL arm at the Stoop appears to have carried on this tradition, it they can do it wht=y cant others

We tried this calling ourselves after a bank, but then they went bust, .

I understand your frustration but I could not agree to sell our souls cheaply. It would have to be something special that would retain our friendly identity, family bar, and ability to wander around the ground at will. I would certainly want a proportion of the ground to remain standing, not some uncomfortable plastic monstrosity run by a "stadium management company".

I want to see our club play at the highest level that is possible to sustain. If reality says that that might not be super league then I am not in the slightest bit bothered, but I would be happy to support a board that could make it happen.

I have been to many super league stadia and some are just uncomfortable and soul-less with bars like concrete bunkers. It seems that most of the fans from these clubs meet in bars away from the ground which, to me, takes so much away from what a good club should be.

Rach I hear what you are saying, I am a former season ticket holder for London Broncos/Quins and much as they talk about a strong community base etc they only have a hard core of 2500 suporters, as a Cougars fan we have it alright (as with most of life communication is a problem although improving due to you) and as for grounds my favourite S L ground (that meets the current specs) in Warrington which is half sitting and half standing.
Neil

Plus the HJ is close to the action much like Cougar Park.

The HJ doesn't have a decent supporter's bar though, just a soulless concrete concourse - don't they WANT people to drink there???

And remember what happened when we were there?

We drank the place dry!