GBR Challenge

Originally posted by Lucy I totally see Coilers point here. The Americas Cup is the oldest Trophy in Sporting History - it is an old boy British tradition that is supported mainly by the upper classes and the elite - not too disimilar to Fox hunting. If we're not careful, we're going to lose another great English tradition.

Hello Lucy - this is not a good thing comparing the AC to fox hunting. We are back to being politically incorrect.  

And while I am having a gripe please do not turn a British tradition into an English one - us Scots tend to get offended.

Yep the English can take the blame for fox hunting!!

16 years is nothing in terms of how long this cup has been floating around!

What's the point in flying a footie team around the world when the last time they won the world cup was nearly 40 years ago! but I guess if you have the backing you can do anything you want no matter how rubbish you are....

I guess we can moan  and debate about it but the sad fact is that it's unlikely we'll be attending the event - despite it being in our back yard. I for one am sad and think coilers attempt to help them - although controversial (!) is a nice thing to do!  

The AC has always been about a few rich people throwing hunge amounts of cash at the competition as a hobby.  There is little point in moaning about it because the AC rule has developed in such a way as that it will always be like that.  Unless a serious cap is put on campain budgets it will never be accessable, and even then people will find a way around it. 

Now then, Have just come into this discussion and read some very interesting points about how sad it is that GBR Challenge will not be in the LVC in 2007, which is true, it is very sad, we do have a tradition in the competition, we were the first people to lose it, we've never won it, and it's never been held in the UK.

The next cup in Valencia, Europe, closer to home but not quite home. Without wanting to come across as a cynic, the America's Cup doesn't represent value for money for Corporate Britain. If Peter was going to underwrite 50% of the Cash then they were still looking for 25 million quid right?

First and foremost the corporate guys would be looking for at least the equivalent of 300% return on exposure and let's face it, unless you win the cup you're not going to get £100 million worth of exposure are you? Without looking can you name Victory Challenges Primary Sponsor? In the UK the sport and the event just physically doesn't generate enough public interest fact. For 25 million, you could be the Kit sponsor for Man United - Now that generates 100 million in exposure in the UK. And GBR Challenge were never going to win the cup

The other thing would be to look at companies with international interests, or those with more focus on the acquisition of trade through their support of an event/team. Imagine, for some companies, the networking prospects in attending an America's Cup could generate enough business to make the cash spent on sponsorship very viable, but 25 million quid viable? For much cheaper you can sposor a boat in a Global yacht race with stopover ports in not 3 or 4 countries, but 7 or 8 countries.

The truth of the matter is that there are much more cost effective things competing for what is effectively a very small sponsorship market, and the GBR Challenge package just wasn't inviting enough. Just think How much Pindar is getting out of their sailing sponsorship, and I bet they're spending a lot less than £25 million.

When some of the biggest supporters of the sport wouldn't stump up the cash, It's time to pull the plug.