No more Ipro...

[ramAnag]

...seems our deal with Ipro - still with seven years to run I think - has been ended and the stadium will revert to being Pride Park from the beginning of 2017.
For the financial experts amongst us I wonder what the implications of this withdrawal of sponsorship are likely to be?
Also, personally I never liked the name Pride Park and would have much preferred the stadium to have originally been called the 'New Baseball Ground'...is this an opportunity to find a new name or will we inevitably be taking the name of a local sponsor and become the Toyota/Marstons/Bombardier whatever?

[roger_ramjet]

This will require some research as a number of the "Ipro Sports" companies are insolvent/in liquidation or in a CVA. Also there are a number of new recently incorporated "Ipro Sports" companies set up. So God knows what is going on with the company/group. It seems to be restructuring and in the process may have seen the opportunity to dump a burdensome long term deal?? This is all speculation though. Not being a "told you so" sort of person in tbe Ratty mould, but I told you so!

I tok hated the Pride Park name so hopefully something better will emerge. Hlw about The Morris Arena?

[Manofpride]

Or the Melodrome!

[StensonRam]

The new owners probably thought 7m quid........for what, American express only paid a million for the Amex, who signed this off? No doubt there were some early termination clauses built in to both sides, wonder who blinked first, very much doubt it was DCFC, wonder how much the settlement figure is?

[ramAnag]

Or the Melodrome!

Lol...like!
Please God...not the 'Just Eat Stadium'.
Didn't realise it was so complex Roger. Who pays Stenson's 'settlement figure', them or us?

[Oldtimeram]

Morris Marena (sic)

One for the older chaps

[roger_ramjet]

Lol...like!
Please God...not the 'Just Eat Stadium'.
Didn't realise it was so complex Roger. Who pays Stenson's 'settlement figure', them or us?

That would depend on the contract wordings, the wordings of the break clauses, if any, and negotiation I expect. You would think that if they broke it then they would pay for the privilege, and vica versa - but if it was mutually agreed break clause in advance then there probably wouldn't be a cost either way: same as in a property lease.

Either way I imagine we have been shafted - I believe the cost of the naming rights were on a sliding scale (ie cheaper in the early years) because Ipro Drinks was in effect a start up, so we may not have ever received pro rata of the supposed £7m under the agreement. On the other hand they have had heavy positive exposure via regular TV coverage during those years when we were one of Sky's favourites. But with us missing out on premier league, they may have not got the bargain they expected! Who knows.

The Club press release seems to infer that DCFC chose to break early, but it would say that, wouldnt it

the key, as has been noted earlier, is to get rid of Just Eat and get a decent sponsor aligned with naming rights as one consistent package - not mismatching so called health drinks with so called junk food

[roger_ramjet]

OK this is interesting. The Statement of Affairs of Sports Drinks Limited (formerly iPro Sports Corporation Limited) - a company now in creditors voluntary liquidation - shows assets of NIL and, amongst £ 5.7 million of liabilities, some £ 4,553,306 due to The derby County Football Club Limited. This statement is dated 1 September 2016.

SDL had been renamed in June 2016 and around this time Malcolm Guscott was named as director. In August another company name Ipro Sports Corporation was formed along with Ipro Sport Sponsorship Ltd. Bothe have Guscott as sole director and are owned by Ipro Sports Holding Limited. No details are given of the ownership of the Holding Company which was formed in December 2015 and has since been recapitalised.

so the "first Ipro" seems to have been killed off owing £ 4.5 million to DCFC and not long after a "second Ipro" has turned up without the naming rights etc. draw your own conclusions.....

[swaledale]

That would depend on the contract wordings, the wordings of the break clauses, if any, and negotiation I expect. You would think that if they broke it then they would pay for the privilege, and vica versa - but if it was mutually agreed break clause in advance then there probably wouldn't be a cost either way: same as in a property lease.

Either way I imagine we have been shafted - I believe the cost of the naming rights were on a sliding scale (ie cheaper in the early years) because Ipro Drinks was in effect a start up, so we may not have ever received pro rata of the supposed £7m under the agreement. On the other hand they have had heavy positive exposure via regular TV coverage during those years when we were one of Sky's favourites. But with us missing out on premier league, they may have not got the bargain they expected! Who knows.

The Club press release seems to infer that DCFC chose to break early, but it would say that, wouldnt it

the key, as has been noted earlier, is to get rid of Just Eat and get a decent sponsor aligned with naming rights as one consistent package - not mismatching so called health drinks with so called junk food

Roger why is a take away automatically in your eyes "junk food", Just eat provides an online service to order a range of foods, one can have healthy diet eating indian food it all depends what one chooses and how often one indulges and in any case its not take aways that are the cause of the obesity problem its ****ing sugar!

This obsession with Just eat as if its selling heroin is ludicrous, if it were a payday loan company or gambling I could see your point of view, though as we seem to be big on personal choice and responsibility one could justify that any legitimate business is fine, as surely its up to the individual to take responsibility for their actions?

I had you down as a thoughtful guy not a fascist who wants anything he disagrees with banned!

[essexred52]

Plastic Park has a ring to it!