Quote: G1 "[sizeIF[/size you believe the RFL this could be a very clever deal or a very clever gamble.
IIRC there weren't many offers on the table when the Stobart deal was done. Wasn't the next best deal worth about £80k per club? Hardly enough to keep the Bulls solvent for a working week.
So, the RFL is patient, does a deal that, allegedly, has significantly increased their viewing figures (45%) and go back to market looking for a better naming rights deal with a product far more attractive to sponsors and lucrative to the RFL.
I guess the proof will be in the pudding when we see what we get next year.'"
Also, you can bet that Stobarts will be tardy in repainting their trucks (they won't pull them off the road to get rid of the branding the day the deal ends) so the RFL will get the benefit of the tail end of the sponsorship whilst also getting, hopefully, some cash through the door.
However as you suggest, in the overall scheme of things, even a "lucrative" deal of say £1m is not really going to make that much difference once split 14 ways. If Betfair were offering £750k then it really was barely worth it for the SL clubs when they were faced with that decision, especially with the other inherent problems of going with that deal.
