International breaks rarely give us much in the way of big news stories but that is not the case this time around — as from next month DCFC has agreed to re-name Pride Park thanks to a £7 million pound deal over 10 years with drink company ‘iPro’.

‘iPro’ is a new isotonic sports drink (like ‘Gatorade’ and ‘Powerade’) which is soon to be found in fridges around the globe, with this deal part of the companies push to become a recognised brand in the market place.

When Blackpool come to visit Derby on Saturday the 7th of December — that will be the day our stadium’s moniker will change to ‘iPro Stadium’.

As the game has been selected as a live match on Sky Sports, no doubt it was chosen to give the change maximum exposure for the club and its new sponsor. Media reports have suggested that it is one of the biggest ever independent deals announced by club, in Football League history.

On their website, ‘iPro’ introduces itself in the following way:

“iPro Sport is the new name in global sports brands, a result of 7 years’ development in the world of sport, leisure, health and fitness, to grow hand-in-hand with all sports of all levels, and active people of all ages and abilities.”

“iPro Sport is an exciting, fresh, vibrant brand, leading our international presence with iPro Sport Isotonic. From professional sportspeople to those embarking on a healthy, active lifestyle, with the help of sports professionals, iPro Sport has been genuinely developed ‘By Sport For Sport’.”

“Our international partnerships and the organisations that we support are wholly driven by our corporate ethos, which is the foundation of the “iPro” name. Consequently, everything that we do is based upon “Integrity” and “Professionalism”….hence “iPRO” !”

“With a global brand range on the international horizon, our mission is simple: To support preparation, inspire dedication and share celebration of global sport, health, fitness and active lifestyles.”

So there you go — pretty straight forward marketing speak. Though I am not sure how a drink is developed “By Sport, For Sport”, I would prefer it was developed by people, perhaps I am just old fashioned. Don’t you just love advertising lingo!

Browsing through the ‘iPro’ website, it seems they are working on establishing their brand around the world by recruiting “ambassadors”, as all sports related companies do to convince fans that if their heroes drink it, they should drink it.

There is no doubt the move will divide fans, with traditionalists more likely wanting a new name or sponsor to be more in keeping with the clubs history. Others are more likely to see it for what it is, another business deal in a world full of business deals that unfortunately are hard to avoid, especially if you want your club to compete.

Revenue is all important to the, especially if we want to move forward with ambition, eventually be promoted and achieve stability in the top flight — so unfortunately these types of deals are a necessary evil in the modern game.

Speaking to the media, Sam Rush was pushing the - revenue equals stability and growth angle:

"To ensure that Derby County remains as competitive as possible, we need to explore all forms of revenue generation.”

"Stadium naming rights is a key asset for the club and we are delighted that we have been able to reach an agreement with iPro. iPro is a challenger brand that is looking to gain significant market share and we believe that the partnership works well for both parties.”

"This agreement, which we believe to be ground-breaking, is the culmination of a huge amount of work from all parties."

So expect to see plenty of stock in the fridges around Pride Pa….. oh sorry, ‘iPro’ Stadium, as well as the players drinking it, wearing it (the logo, not the drink… unless they pour it on each other — as players do!) and heavily promoting it.

I am no fan of the corporate world and what may be termed as “selling out” but fact is, very few fans ever really took to the ‘Pride Park’ name — which will no doubt lessen any public backlash.

I really can only say that the club have pulled off a major coupe by securing such a massive deal, as having worked in media sales and marketing myself, big deals like this are a logistical miracle to pull off. Sam Rush and his team have done very well to wrap up such a lucrative deal for the club.

Whether or not you like the name or the decision, few will disagree that if the money is directed into the right areas and assists the club to once again become one of the more successful clubs in the country, this could be the start of something big.

The Rams have really upped their expectations on and off the field and are once again are starting to act like the big club that they are, rather than a small club in a big skin.

Once you start making noises like this, confidence grows, investment starts to seek you out and should filter down to spending budgets and the quality of player on the park.

As fans we have to watch and wait, to see if this new found push for both corporate and on field success comes to fruition.

Whatever people think — the Rams are acting like big boys again and frankly that is what most of us have wanted for a very long time.

In closing - the most important question of all has been overlooked.... is there any chance Robbie Savage will record a new theme tune for the stadium now the one below is out of date?

Now there is a marketing idea worth pursuing!

Video - Sam Rush speaking to the official site about the new deal.

Photo: Action Images

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