The name of the iconic stadium could earn them around £8m a year if sold to sponsors.
The Daily Telegraph report that the Wembley National Stadium Limited, the venue operator owned by the FA, denied a deal would involve a corporate title sponsor for the stadium – but claims that they have only ruled out a wholesale name change.
So as long as Wembley Stadium remained in the title, they would entertain a sponsorship deal.
In a similar move to the sponsorship of the FA Cup, rebranded to The FA Cup with Budweiser, they would reportedly be prepared to accept a title such as ‘Wembley Stadium brought to you by...’
Sponsored stadiums have been commonplace – and relatively accepted – with newly-built venues, such as Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, or Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.
But renaming existing ground for financial gain has proved trickier, as Newcastle found when rebranding St James’ Park as the Sports Direct Arena.
Umbro and Carlsberg have been the founding partners since the stadium was rebuilt and re-opened in 2007.
The FA are keen to strike a deal, with interest on the loans taken out to build Wembley costing £42.6m a year in debt interest and capital, according to the 2010 figures.
The FA had to pay £32.8m to cover the deficit on the stadium in that year, so a high-profile sponsorship deal would go some way to alleviating the burden.
