From my point of view' as I walk around Manchester a lot' it always has me on my toes so that has got to be a plus as I realise that both the game I support and me are benefiting from this inspired deal.

Seen a few of em on the M6........coming/going to their Carlisle depot most mornings.

I do 30 miles a weekday on the m60, and a couple of weekends ago did a 300 mile + round trip on the m6, and I still haven't seen one.

I've seen Jon Wilkin, eorl Crabtree (twice), Sam Tomkins, Ryan mcgoldrick, Danny brough and a Salford one.

Usually spot them between m25 and Oxford or on m74

Oh carlisle could be our next expansion point maybe thats why you see them there,oh hang on they gave up on carlisle decades ago......money well spent never seen any

Have to say, I thought Stobart's main depot was behind the Widnes stadium - according to the delivery drivers that deliver Tescos' frozen food for their Wales stores ....

I've seen three on my trawl up and down the M62. I suspect they may be based at the A1 depot?


A good move? No idea, unlike you Frank, i don't have any inside knowledge as to why the bookies offer was turned down. If you'd like to share your inside knowledge with me then I'd be able to make an informed opinion instead of just offering a kneejerk opinion.
Perhaps you would be better off asking the SL chairmen who voted for it, or perhaps the either five or two who voted against it, depending on who you believe, after being advised by one of the biggest - if not THE biggest - sporting sponsorship brokers that the Stobart offer was the better of the two.

Given the little I do know of the deal, I'm worried that potential sponsors think we're worth beggar all either way.
I wish they'd let the Leigh forum members organise sponsorship, they'd obviously be able to get some blue chip investors involved where professionals can't.

I was that shocked i could not see who was on the side of the trailer!

Thanks for the response Nik but I know as much about it as you. Btw I haven't made a kneejerk reaction' all I said was that I have never seen a Stobart lorry with a plug for Superleague on it.

My personal view however is that the club I support got nothing from the deal and would have still got nothing even had the deal been done with Fred Done for a reputed £750 000.

Doubt Mr Lewis would reply to you or me even if we contacted him directly.

You know, you were actually making sense until the penultimate word of the last sentence. Being paid for something doesn't make you a professional.

Sponsorship is the bellweather of any sport. Poor sponsorship directly reflects the health or perceived health of any game - take snooker as an example. The reason being that sponsors will only pay for two things a) to reach a target audience and b) to be associated with a winning and solid brand.

Sponsors obviously believe that our target audience is too small and/or our brand is crap. Interestingly, the clubs seem to do a better job of getting sponsored than the RFL.

had the kids counting them on the way to cornwall last week (kept um quiet).37 waggons there and back they said they saw and not one with a super league advertisement on it.

not seen one yet

I've seen 7 so far - Leeds x2, Wigan, Warrington, Cas, Salford and I think Hull KR. I feel extremely privileged to have seen so many

Mmm. JST600, Probiz, Q-Connect Office Products, Hirebase, Leeds Building Society, MediaCity, Ty-phoo Tea, Eric France, Bensons For Beds, Stobart and Applicado FS.
I don't even know who four or five of those are. Fair enough, Hull FCs sponsorship with P&O Ferries is probably the most prestigious name in sponsorship in RL, but still isn't a huge company.

I'm sure you'll agree that 'professional' means 'does something for a profession'. A profession is your job - paid or otherwise - but in this particular case, I would take the paid professional with contacts over an unpaid amateur with none.


Frank, I entirely agree that Leigh (and other CC clubs) apparently got nothing from this deal, but is that down to the RFL officials, or is it down to the greed of the individual Chairmen of SL clubs who agreed the sponsorship deal? I know which I believe.

I would offer an opinion, but it's completely without any foundation, that the Stobart deal wasn't brilliant, but that it could well have been the better of the two. That doesn't make it a fact though, it just makes it an opinion. I'm also of the opinion that the Betfair offer would have had so many strings attached that it was an even worse deal than the Stobart one. Again, only an opinion, I have no inside knowledge and can only go on gut instinct.

We can argue and disagree endlessly on this (and many other RL related subjects), but without any inside knowledge, and without any details on what the contents of both offers where, we can never come to a definative opinion on which was the 'better' (and if you want a subjective word, then that is one of the best) deal.

Still not seen one and i went from Westhoughton to hereford then newport in south wales then over to shorpe on the easter weekend