Wycombe Wanderers, the Supporters Trust and the Founders Trust
to consult with supporters over future stadium sponsorship

Following the end of a contractural agreement with Causeway Technologies in May 2006, the stadium name reverted to Adams Park on Thursday 1st June.

Before any decision is made as to whether the Club should be seeking additional income from any new sponsorship deal involving renaming the stadium, the opinion of Blues supporters is to be sought.

The Supporters Trust and Founders Trust, in conjunction with the Club, have prepared a consultation package, which is being mailed to members of both Trusts, season ticket holders, known regular purchasers of home match tickets and PLC shareholders. In total consultation packages have been posted to approximately 3,350 people.

A covering letter outlines the background to the stadium sponsorship debate and includes an interview on the subject with Steve Hayes, the Club's Managing Director. This interview is re-produced below.

Enclosed with the consultation package is a response form for supporters to record their opinion, which will need to be returned to the Trusts at the Freepost address supplied no later than 31st July 2006.

Alternatively feedback can be provided via the online response form - see link below.

The feedback received will be compiled jointly by both Trusts and the results of this consultation will determine any future action with respect to sponsorship involving the stadium name.
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Background:

Interview with Steve Hayes, Managing Director WWFC, March 2006
(SH = Steve Hayes: TB = Trusts' Boards)

TB: On the 25th June 2003, Wycombe Wanderers Football Club announced that the naming rights to Adams Park had been sold to local software company Causeway Technologies. The decision was controversial and caused a significant level of resentment with some supporters. Three years later the subject is being resurrected. Do the Club now wish to consult with their supporters on this issue and will they listen to the response?

SH: "Yes we genuinely want feedback from our shareholders and our supporters, and yes, we will listen to what they say. The big point that the PLC Board want to make is that if our shareholders and supporters, as a whole, want to retain the name Adams Park, then we all need to work at lifting the finances of the Club. We can't afford to just say no and do nothing. It is their Club and we all need to pull together in the same direction for it to be the success it deserves. Simply put, if the majority say no to sponsorship then we need to cut our cloth accordingly or to replace the lost revenue via an alternative source. The only proviso the Board will put on is that we want to be able to come back and ask again if our circumstances change or a significant proposal is presented to us. This is not a get out clause it is simply just good business sense."

TB: What level of responses do you consider to be representative in order to go with supporters' opinions?

SH: "This is difficult to answer. We would think a minimum of 500 but more like 1500 supporter responses would be representative. We have invested in the CRM System and it is up and running and available for use. This consultation process is just one of the many reasons we have invested in this software and we are looking forward to using it to talk to and listen to our supporters. It goes without saying that these have to be genuine and unique responses from supporters."

TB: What are your feelings over stadium sponsorship and the conflict this has with the history and heritage of the Club?

SH: "The history and heritage of the Club is important to me and to the Club. The Board does understand the arguments put forward by supporters who wish to preserve the memory of Frank Adams. Dedicating the name of the stadium in memory of Frank Adams was, at the time, a perfect memorial. In other ways however, it has not gone far enough. How many supporters today understand the importance and magnitude of the gift of Loakes Park? Does just naming the stadium do enough to promote this? We are actively looking at substantive ways of marking the contribution of Frank Adams and other key areas of our history. In this way we can educate, not just supporters, but also the wider community about the Club and its important role in the community. So in some ways, just returning the name of the stadium to Adams Park is not enough and, some could argue, not essential."

TB: So are you against reverting back to Adams Park in favour of sponsorship?

SH: "Not at all. We as a Board are happy either way as long as we put into place the permanent schemes we have discussed. Not only to pay respects to Frank Adams, but also the other areas of our rich history. For example, if any further sponsorship of the stadium is accepted we will change the address to ensure the ground name still refers to Adams Park. So, and only as an example, it could be Widget Stadium, Adams Park, Hillbottom Road etc…. This way we can maintain the reference to Frank Adams, take advantage of the additional revenue and with our other schemes, maintain a good balance between commercialism and heritage. As we have said before, if supporters don't want to accept sponsorship we have to replace that revenue with something else. If this is the decision, then fine, but we can't just leave it there, we all need to go forward together."

Note: For clarity the address of the Club has currently reverted to:
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club PLC, Adams Park, Hillbottom Road, Sands,
High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 4HJ

TB: What guarantees do supporters have that the name Adams Park will be incorporated in any future deal?

SH: "The only guarantee we can give you is our word. The whole essence of our relationship is based upon trust. If I, the Board or you, break that relationship then we will not achieve the goals we want for the Club. In short this is all we can give but there is no benefit for us to try and deceive now or at any time in the future. "

TB: To some the decision is clear-cut and Adams Park should remain as the stadium name irrespective of finances. To others the stadium name has a price and should be used for commercial gain by the Club. Little substantive information on the Causeway deal was made available. Can you provide supporters with a guide as to what sort of future sponsorship deal you would be seeking?

SH: "There is no deal on the table at the moment and we are not actively looking for one, so it is difficult to give you any concrete parameters. Stadium sponsorship is a limited market so we can't even tell you what normal market rates are. It will come down to the individual company and what they are prepared to offer at the time. In our own minds, and as a rule of thumb, we would be expecting to see a deal over a minimum period of 5 years with a net revenue of £50K per year for Wycombe Wanderers."

TB: London Wasps allegedly received a percentage of the expiring Causeway deal. Would the same apply to any future deal?

SH: "Again this is all conjecture. We are currently negotiating with Wasps over a number of issues but this isn't one of them. In short we don't know but we guess if they were to bring a potential sponsor to the table then they would be entitled to a larger percentage. If we bring the sponsor to the table they will have costs to be covered as a result of the name change and thus would be entitled to a smaller amount. But this is all supposition. We cannot give you firm parameters as it would jeopardise current and future negotiations. However it is our stadium and we have control and will only enter into an agreement if it is beneficial to Wycombe Wanderers."

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	Response Form as a Microsoft Word 2000 document Right click on mouse button and select Save Target As ... to download the response form
	Response Form as an Adobe pdf document Right click on mouse button and select Save Target As ... to download the response form
	Club statement re stadium sponsorship from the Club's website
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