Scottish rugby club St. Helens Saints confirmed Langtree Park will be renamed the Totally Wicked Stadium after agreeing to a five-year deal with the e-cigarette company, according to the ST HELENS STAR. Following "much speculation," the change was confirmed on Wednesday. The club said that the "financial value of the sponsorship contract is the largest in the history of the club" but a "largely negative response" was emerging from dozens of supporters on social media. Saints CEO Mike Rush said, "The stadium will sound quite young and a bit cool. To have a Totally Wicked Stadium, the kids will like it. It’s great for us. I think it shows the ambition of the club." Totally Wicked has sponsored the North Stand since '13 and been a sponsor of the team shirt since '14. The club said that it is "committed to supporting fans that wish to switch from smoking to vaping" and has allowed fans to use e-cigarettes in the stadium following "government backed evidence which makes clear that vaping does not undermine the smoking ban" (ST HELENS STAR, 11/30). The PA reported St. Helens Chair Eamonn McManus said, "For the club, this new increased sponsorship deal was a natural development of an already established relationship that has been of tremendous benefit to the club, not just financially, but also in supporting our wider health objectives." St. Helens has played its home matches at the 18,000-capacity Langtree Park for the past five seasons (PA, 11/30). THE SUN's Richard Forrester reported Twitter has reacted with "mixed views" (THE SUN, 11/30).
