Spoiler

SFA block meerkats from sponsoring Stirling Albion

Killjoys.

In the past few months West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and of course Newcastle@backslash.com have all entertained the idea of selling their naming rights, and each have either been met with either furious 1000-word articles on “the value of tradition”, or in Newcastle’s case, international derision. Those in the former camp should probably stop reading now. Or at least have a defibrillator on standby.

With their club languishing £1.5m in the red, Stirling Albion‘s supporters trust have hatched a plan to buy the Scottish Second Division club and raise some much-needed coin by selling their naming rights for £50,000 a year. Negotiations are currently underway with car insurance website Compare the Market – home to the world’s most irritating mongoose, Aleksandr Orlov – who want to re-brand the club as the ‘Stirling Albion Meerkats’.

The Scottish FA, however, is likely to throw out the deal, citing a necessity to keep the ‘integrity of the game’. Speaking to the BBC, an SFA spokesman said:

Any proposed change of name would require to be submitted to the board for consideration and approval. Given that a name change for commercial purposes would have huge implications, the integrity of the game would be paramount in any decision-making process.

Booooo. An interesting situation, though. Stirling are in a perilous position, having been issued two winding up orders in the past couple of months. If the fans are behind the change, and it secures the future of the club, does it matter what they’re called?

• meerkats
• SFA
• Stirling Albion