No doubt it'll be the RFL's fault if one is involved in a pile-up.

The RFL response would include something along the lines of RL being a "collision sport"...

Stobart Group secures titles rights to Super League

Stobart Group, the UK leader in transport and distribution, has partnered with Super League in a cross-marketing deal to secure title naming rights to Rugby League’s elite club competition.

The new agreement, which will run until the end of the 2014 season, will see the competition become the Stobart Super League with the Stobart brand featuring prominently across all 14 clubs.

In a pioneering new partnership focusing on exposure and promoting greater awareness of the game, the newly-designed Stobart Super League artwork will adorn 100 trailers of the company’s famous red and green trucks, with an Eddie Stobart vehicle passed, on average, every 4.5 minutes when driving on the UK’s major roads.

Each of the 14 clubs will have trailers branded with images of their players and team colours.

Commenting on the new partnership, Super League Chairman Richard Lewis said: “The deal with Stobart is excellent for the Super League clubs and the competition as a whole.

“The Super League clubs turned down other offers and took a strategic view that the brand values of Stobart are closely matched to those of Rugby League.

“The Super League clubs are excited by the multi-layered sponsorship that services the game and the competition on a number of levels in a way never seen before.”

Stobart Chief Executive Andrew Tinkler said: “Eddie Stobart has become a Superbrand due to the public exposure of our 2,250 trucks, driving millions of miles each week.

“Now we can help build the Super League brand and promote Rugby League and its brilliant clubs through the exposure our fleet and Superbrand status offers.”

He added: “We have a successful history with the game through our relationship with Widnes Vikings, and believe there is a strong affiliation between the Stobart brand and the army of Rugby League fans. We can’t wait for the Stobart Super League to get started and for our new branded trailers to hit the road.”

The partnership will dovetail alongside a new five-year television contract with leading broadcaster Sky Sports, which will see up to 70 televised games each season, starting with Widnes Vikings versus Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on Friday February 3 2012.

Rugby League continues to be a major feature in the Sky Sports portfolio as the most watched domestic league outside of football, and the fourth most popular televised sport in Britain.



The Stobart Super League is launched on Wednesday February 1 with a convoy of branded Eddie Stobart trucks driving from Widnes to Old Trafford.

The first televised game of the new season will take place on Friday February 3 at Stobart Stadium, between Widnes Vikings and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (8.00pm).

The lorries look brilliant. Publicity the length and breadth of Britain.

Superb.

They do. It's a fantastic idea.


Hopefully! I just hope the clubs send them south and to the far north so that the sport gets maximum exposure for its 100 lorries.

I notice how crafty Stobart have been. My guess is that the advertising from Sky and Heinz probably paid for the livery, leaving Stobart with sod all cost!

My first thoughts on seeing the pics of the trailers were that if I didn't know about this deal then I would think they were in fact adverts for Sky Sports..........

Also, slightly disappointing to see that out of 2,250 trucks in their fleet only 100 will be involved in this deal.

Not really. There is a massive picture of a rugby player which kind of gives the game away!


That is disappointing. A couple of hundred would have been good. Maybe they will increase the numbers if the idea boosts their profile? A person can live in hope I guess ...

Still, 100 is better than 0.

me too, I though I'd read somewhere it was 300 trucks that were going to have branding. I'd have hoped for at least 10% of their trucks to have the branding. But what a fantastic novel idea to try. Well done RFL. Hopefully the clubs will now have to become more proactive in raising their own cash and becoming self sufficient.

The mind boggles it really does. When I look at the photos of the lorries I see the superleague website and live game time advertised. I see each club and its brand advertised on the side if a great big trailer. Yes Sky Sports features on there too, but we want folk to know where they can watch the greatest game of all, don't we?
It's now the turn if the individual clubs to push themselves in their region and strengthen on the back if this fantastic new initiative.

True, but to have only 100 lorries is a bit underwhelming. The press releases have quoted the "see a Stobart lorry every 4.5mins" thing as if that justifies this deal - which to be fair would be fantastic. However, with only 100 out of 2,250 total lorries branded, that 4.5mins potentially shoots up to over 100 minutes - i.e. a good chance that most people making their standard commute won't see one at all.

But do we need to do that? I don't think we do. I think what we - ie the sport - need is to push the brand in OTHER regions. Had Stobart provided us with, say, 200 trucks then the chances of other regions seeing our lorries would have been good. With just 100 though they are a bit thin on the ground. I understand that this is a bit of a risky move for Stobart who have built their brand on being spotted but even so 100 is a low number to be really effective. Unless, of course, they are all just going to be travelling around the M60 all day!

What I thought was great about this deal is that while we have been dumped from the national print media, having massive pictures of our players and clubs on the sides and backs of lorries would help fill that gap, giving us the exposure the print media is denying us. However, with only 100 lorries, the clubs would need to send most of their lorries down south for there to be a chance of decent exposure to the uninitiated.

No good preaching to the coverted; it's the unconverted we need to reach.

However, I am simply disappointed at the number. The idea, and the way in which it is being delivered (ie the livery), is bloody brilliant. I hope they take off and Stobart increase the numbers as a result.

Really?

Wigan currently have 10,000 season ticket holders, we had an average last season of over 16k. Yet we were able to take 30,000 to both Old Trafford and Wembley. We have potential to fill our stadium every week without away fans. The sport very much needs to preach to the converted, for some reason, half of them choose not to turn up to games.

As for the sky sports factor. An add like this WILL NOT prompt someone who has never watched RL to tune in for a game. They will probably assume it is Rugby Union and look around to see if Jonny Wilkinson is still on there. However, it could prompt the people who have watched before but do not do so on a regular basis.

To be honest, I think the reason all this expansion etc. doesn't work properly is because the game has not reached it's full potential in the heartlands yet. Expansion also does not have to be 'down south'. Why will people 'down south' change from their football, rugby union and cricket routine just for rugby league? They won't.

IMO advertising super league at the moment should be for people who already like the game, with a focus on getting the highest persentage possible going to the games or watching the game on TV. Then we might get ourselves into a position where it is much more reasonable to expand.

Lets be honest, the marketing in Rugby League is terrible. Only Wigan have shown real ingenuity and creativity when marketing. Why arn't other clubs not showing local TV adverts etc? They expect people to just turn up. If every club in super league can market themselves properly and then get into decent stadia (almost there) then the product will be much easier to market and the sport will find it easier to expand with it's advertising.

Finally the RFL should look at a clever 'Ambush Marketing' campaign for the Olympics in London. That would really put us on the map bigtime!