I was dismayed to read the news last week that Welsh football team Cardiff City are to dispense with 104 years of tradition of playing in their distinctive blue shirts and instead sport red for the coming season.
Not only are the traditional colours consigned to history, so is the club's iconic Bluebirds badge - and, naturally, along with it the club nickname - exchanged for a dragon. All this is part of a rebranding exercise by the club's Malaysian sponsors who believe that the changes will bring commercial and marketing benefits to the club from the Far East.
Some people might think I'm a football purist. Actually, I know they do. But I'm also a realist and a pragmatist. And I recognise that there has to be a practical approach where global markets are concerned; while for people like me football is often about local identity, there can be no escaping that it is now a worldwide business with international marketing potential.
Cardiff City Football Club has tied itself to a significant package of investment from the Malaysians. That is not to be sniffed at, and it sounds like this investment could propel the club forward and see them emulate near neighbours Swansea to emerge as a Premiership force. Promises include increased transfer budget, a new training ground and expansion to the existing stadium. It's little wonder that Cardiff City fans want these people involved with their club. It's also understandable that many of them don't want to exchange the club's traditions and identity for these glistening pieces of silver.
On one level, it isn't too unusual in the modern game. Let's take a look at another Cardiff club, playing in the League of Wales. Inter Cardiff became Inter Cable Tel to appease their sponsors. Other Welsh clubs have followed suit: Llansantffraid FC became Total Network Solutions (now the New Saints), Connah's Quay Nomads became Gap Connah's Quay. English and Scottish league clubs have avoided such overt identification with sponsors but that isn't true of their stadia, with many sponsors now receiving naming rights and producing such wonderfully named grounds as the Shyberry Excelsior and KitKat Crescent. In some cases, stadium names change so quickly I pity tomorrow's football historians. At least Cardiff City aren't compromising their entire identity by renaming themselves or their stadium.
I have seen the comments of many football supporters on twitter, who believe this is a disgraceful example of the power of sports capitalism. In part, I agree. I watch Albion Rovers and Greenock Morton and I wouldn't want some millionaire sponsor investing in either of these clubs on the condition that he can treat it as a personal plaything. Say someone bought Rangers and insisted that a part of any deal would be to wear green shirts - what would the response be? Cardiff City fans are equally proud of their club history and traditions and feel the same connection with the past as supporters of Rangers or any other club.
There are too many such people running our football clubs. Their interest is commercial, not in either the clubs or the communities in which they are based. That is not always a negative thing. But I wouldn't want my club's identity to be sold to the highest bidder. Football clubs are in some respects not like other businesses: fans are important stakeholders in their clubs and deserve to be consulted on such drastic changes. If I was a Cardiff City fan I'd also ask some questions about the detail of the club's finances and would like to see come considered analysis as to the projected benefits of the marketing plan (especially with some fans boycotting the new home shirt). I've seen many "investors" promise clubs so much (think Spencer Trethewy at Aldershot, George Reynolds at Darlington, John Craig at York City, Terry Brown at Chester and even Hugh Scott at Morton) and be unable to deliver anything but the club's destruction in the long-term. We don't yet know what will happen to Rangers - another product of people forgetting their business sense once they get into club boardrooms. I wouldn't simply take these people at face value.
Cardiff fans have their history. That will not be taken away from them. Whether or not it was a wise move to rebrand the club and change the colours and badge, I don't know. What I am most concerned about is the sponsors'/owners' apparent lack of interest in the views of supporters and the town. That doesn't inspire confidence that the supporters interests are of much importance to those running the club. Whatever might be said about this decision, certainly the club could do with a more effective PR department.
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