Man City To Sell Naming Rights Of Eastlands
Manchester City has been granted permission to look for a multi-million pound deal to sell the naming rights of the stadium.
According to media reports, the Blues required the go-ahead from Manchester council, who owns the former Commonwealth Games stadium, to rename Eastlands.
The stadium is still officially named the City of Manchester Stadium, but the team can now look for a sponsor.
The potential deal would boost revenues for the club as they struggle to meet UEFA’s new financial fair play rules.
The new rules in place require clubs playing in Europe to be close to breaking even within three years and last year the team posted a loss of £121m.
City could however, come close to wiping that deficit clean if they sell the name for big money – in 2006 Arsenal sold the rights to its stadium to the Emirates airline for around £100m, in a deal running until 2021.
City moved from it’s previous home at Maine Road to Eastlands in 2003, signing a 250-year lease on the stadium, which sees City pay a set rate to the council, regardless of attendances.
According to media reports, no deal has yet been made, but shirt sponsor Etihad Airways is expected to be amongst the front runners.
