VENUE'S NAME TO BE UNVEILED

17 October 2005

The new name of Swansea's showpiece sports and entertainment venue will finally be unveiled tomorrow.

An announcement is due mid-morning by the board of the new stadium, revealing the new sponsor and the new name. Council leader Chris Holley felt the fans - most of whom continued to call it White Rock - would be quick to adopt the new name.

He has given no hint as to who the winner of the bidding war is, but property development company Liberty is being generally touted as the hot favourite.

Other possible contenders are thought to include FRF Motors and communications company ntl.

Mobile phone company Communications Direct has also claimed to be in the running.Tomorrow, all will be revealed when the stadium board discloses the new sponsor.

Councillor Holley said: "We are delighted to be bringing a top sponsor to the new stadium.

"We are sure that the new name will become a favourite with the fans and will raise the profile of the stadium even further.

"We have worked hard to ensure that the sponsor is the right one for the stadium and the city itself.

"After considering a shortlist of potential sponsors, we feel the successful company's offer sits most comfortably with the values of the stadium and will help to ensure success, both on and off the field.

"Swansea's £27 million landmark stadium, home to the Swans and Ospreys, will become the first sponsored stadium in Wales. Stadiums named after their sponsors first came to the fore in the early 1990s when US IT networking giant 3Com secured naming rights for San Francisco's Candlestick Park, renaming it 3Com Park.

In the UK, it was Bolton Wanderers's 1997 deal with Reebok that led the way.

That was followed by Arsenal's multi-million pound sponsorship deal with Emirates.Interest in sponsorship of the new 20,200-seater stadium is said to have been widespread.

A spokeswoman for the stadium management said: "A number of blue-chip companies put forward bids, which saw interest from a wide range of companies both national and international."