Compare the Market United FC

Stirling Albion Meerkats

No, this isn’t a story about the employees of Compare The Market donning their kit for the local six-a-side league. Following a recent trend for sports arenas to sell their naming rights to sponsors (“TheEmirates Stadium” and “Sportsdirect.com @ St James’ Park”), one football club North of the border is considering taking it one step further with the sale of the entire club’s naming rights. And Compare The Market (sorry, Meerkat) appear to be leading the way.

Stirling Albion, a second division Scottish football club, are said to be negotiating with Compare The Market to include their name in the football club’s title and the name is said to be “Stirling Albion Meerkats” in homage to Aleksandr Orlov …the cheeky little scamp!

For a football club that is in millions of pounds of debt (like many across the UK), Stirling Albion could do with the sponsorship money. And it seems like another great PR opportunity for Compare The Meerkat and Compare The Market – all for the tiny sum of £50,000 a year.

Admittedly, Sitrling are not the biggest club in the world, they’re not funded by a rich oil tycoon and they’re not making great moves in Scottish football. But the PR surrounding this proposal and (if it comes off) the right to the Trivial Pursuit question: “Who was the first naming rights sponsor of a professional football team in the UK”.

The idea however, appears to be a sticking point with the Scottish Football Association – so we’ll have to wait a little longer before we can claim an easy orange cheese!