Lincoln City have always been the only club to have a ground with the suffix ‘Bank’, but that will change with immediate effect after they signed a stadium naming rights deal.
They’ve had stadium naming deals before, notably the 12th Imp Stadium and the Gelder group Stadium, but both came at a time when they were out of the Football League and out of the public eye. With their rise over the last few years, their famous old ground has been in the spotlight and become ripe for sponsorship.
The stadium will now be known as the LNER Stadium, as in London North Eastern Railway as reported by their official site.
The move has been welcomed by most fans, who understand the need for revenue to be generated through other means. They have a sponsor for three of the four stands at the ground, with one end always to be known as the Stacey West End in tribute to the two Lincoln fans who lost their lives at Bradford in 1985.
Whilst that stand remain sacred, the ground name isn’t, at least not on paper. Few fans will stop calling it Sincil Bank though and the ones we’ve found below have either welcomed the move or found an amusing one-liner to add some joviality to the announcement.
https://twitter.com/NEZZY80/status/1204329643479904257
The Lincoln Loco will now be in full steam! But that sounds a bit of a mouth full to me! Thanks for the money but if it's ok with you I'll stick to Sincil Bank!!!
🔴⚪🔴⚪🔴
— chris kennealey (@chriskennealey) December 10, 2019
Will the Doncaster game now be known as the lner derby 😂 #AllAboardTheLincolnLoco
— Live 4now 4get forever (@lincslass86) December 10, 2019
Showing we’re on the right tracks 😜.
Will always be Sincil Bank #uti— Andy Helson 😄 (@andyhelson) December 10, 2019
Glad the east coast contract changed recently else it might have been the Virgin Stadium 😆
— Alan Johnson (@AlanJohnson83) December 10, 2019
That really would have been Virgin on the ridiculous…
— Colin Green (@colin81green) December 10, 2019
Well done to all at the club for this deal. Another brilliant step by management👍🏻
— Clark. (@C_AE10) December 10, 2019
