Totally correct. But there are those on here that will say its criticising for the sake of it and its all the recessions fault.

It seems to me a very strange situation to be in, and one that Quins were also in, yet they had a main sponsor last season.

can anyone come up with a figure regarding how much the club benefits directly financialy?

and then compare that to how much extra income we will make by not having a sponsor on the shirt?

last year was a fiasco...many didnt buy because it was well into season , and many didnt buy because they didnt want to walk round with mecca bingo on the shirt.

we need to be careful selecting a sponsor.
how many would want RENTOKILL or TAMPAX on the shirt ???

Correct. In fact, I was told to get a grip when I criticised the fact we had no sponser and I don't understand the fact we're in a recession, apparently.

We need a sponsor who is on the rise and could market us with their product/services like a mobile phone company and charge them minimal for them to sponsor us just advertise us with their products and give them a boat load of tickets and memerobilia to advertise as prizes and that.

Tampax would be suited sponsoring Union teams as their all stuck up c***s.

I have typical figures to hand but they are worthless unless weighed against the actual mark up from shirt and ticket sales. It is also somewhat of a gamble with far more variables dictating it's sucess other than whether the shirt has a sponsor on or not.

I am also not talking about how we want a brand to look, but more to do with the effort/methods going into finding a sponsor compared to other clubs.

The sponsor issue is a concern for sure, it would be great to get a big world wide company but I think we may have to settle for a smaller company just to get some money.

Does anyone know how much these deals are worth?

Oh dear - I can hear the Happy Clapping Brigade mobilisating as I write. How dare you question anything!

Anyone think we might suffering from the major adverse publicity we suffered from the Gareth Hock failed drugs test and ban saga?

We've already been done in recent years for breaching the salary cap, deducted points and been fined and now one of our top players fails a drug test.

Perhaps the problem is that you are no longer in the limelight (as you once were). Getting to finals is what sponsors want and that failure will not help you sell the brand.

Don't know if you have picked up the Saints release but different sponsors for home and away shirts (and a general increase in the number of partners) at this time of year makes that point.

and before you all cry selling it cheap - remember Mecca had an option for yr2 which they obviously didn't take up and any sponsorship is bringing money into the club.

Wigan RL is still a team that all none RL supporters have heard of, we still get massive attendances, we still get bigger shirt sales than most other teams, we still get loads of games on tv every year. Getting a decent sponsor is not just about winning things or getting to finals.

DaveO Mick Hogan has responded on that site by stating
Dear All

Can I just clarify the club's position on signed merchandise. We receive over 1000 requests a year from all sorts of organisations for signed merchandise/sponsorship. It is not possible to support them all even though the vast majority are great causes. We nominate one charity each year (Last season was Wigan & Leigh Hospice which we raised £11,000 for). We also support other national causes, RFL charities and selected events. Our players have made more than 400 appearances in the last year to support various charities, schools, clubs etc.

With this instance the individual did request a signed shirt and the policy was explained to him. The club did offer a family ticket (2 adults, 2 juniors plus bar tickets to meet the players). I personally called with the offer and this was accepted with thanks and put forward to the fundraising event.

I am therefore surprised and disappointed that a public forum has been used to criticise the club in this way, particularly as the full story has not been told.

We will continue to help as many groups as possible and I have every confidence that this club does as much for local charities (in terms of donations, PR, Prizes and player appearances) as any business across the north west.

Regards

Mick Hogan
CEO

I personally think this is fair comment by the club.