After Newcastle renamed their stadium the Specsavers Stadium, there have been a rash of clubs wanting to follow in their footsteps to earn extra income. From Bolton's Odour-Eaters Stadium to Ipswich's Anusol Arena, the high street has finally come to the previously unenterprising world of football.
It is not only the stadia which are changing. Sunderland's new kit features a prominent advert for KFC - it is made out of chicken skin. They had better hope their opponents or fans don't get too hungry during the match.
This is nothing new. When Preston North End's team of "Invincibles" got through the entire 1888-89 season without losing a single match, they were sponsored by Jennings' Chewing Tobacco. All the players gave demonstrations of the product before their matches and handed out free samples. It is thought that this helped to distract their opponents, and even immobilise them, and let them win.
In the 1966 World Cup Final, sponsored by Guinness, the company decided that they would sell more beer to the English than to the Germans if they won, so they rigged the match with a dodgy "Russian" referee.
Perhaps if you are tired of adverts, you should avoid Chelsea's new strip. It features two plasma display screens at the front and back, which show different adverts continuously, updating every 5 seconds. A replica Chelsea kit is currently retailing for about £5000, although part of this is funded by advertisers.
