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Political advertising in Stadiums

Richard J
Richard J Posts: 8,030
in Other Football and Sports
I was interested that Dartford has an advert which celebrates that the ground was built by a Conservative Council.

I find this quite ironic because various Tories were always critical of political opponents using political advertising for other purposes.They hated the way Ken Livingstone used to promote the GLC back in the day when it was being abolished.

Before seeing this I had never seen an advert so party political apart from in Scotland when I had seen the SNP have advertisements at a few lower league teams.None of those ever claimed credit for building the ground.

My question is. Who paid for it? It would seem to be inappropriate for the ratepayers to foot the bill. Therefore it is political advertising which I would suggest is a difficult avenue for any club to go down.

Comments

  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,619
    That sign has been there for years - a very long time - since 2006 - the Council built it I believe - Jeremy Kite, Tory leader of Dartford Council is / was on the board of Directors of DFC (don’t know if he still is) 
  • Gary Poole
    Gary Poole Posts: 1,874
    Richard J said:
    I was interested that Dartford has an advert which celebrates that the ground was built by a Conservative Council.

    I find this quite ironic because various Tories were always critical of political opponents using political advertising for other purposes.They hated the way Ken Livingstone used to promote the GLC back in the day when it was being abolished.

    Before seeing this I had never seen an advert so party political apart from in Scotland when I had seen the SNP have advertisements at a few lower league teams.None of those ever claimed credit for building the ground.

    My question is. Who paid for it? It would seem to be inappropriate for the ratepayers to foot the bill. Therefore it is political advertising which I would suggest is a difficult avenue for any club to go down.
    I find this ironic as the architect that designed the stadium was a friend of mine and stood as a councillor for the Green Party 
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,839
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,619
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
  • Richard J
    Richard J Posts: 8,030
    Lordflashheart said:
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
    Which is my point.

    Were Labour councillors against the ground being built?

    I don't recall such a partisan advert at the Valley.
  • CAFCTrev
    CAFCTrev Posts: 5,975
    edited July 2023
    Arent we all Tories at Charlton based on what the Barnsley fans were yelling at us last season?
  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,619
    Richard J said:
    Lordflashheart said:
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
    Which is my point.

    Were Labour councillors against the ground being built?

    I don't recall such a partisan advert at the Valley.
    Re Labour - don’t know 

    BUT - it has always been something that has ‘talked’ to me - it’s like a desperation statement - look at us - a Tory Council has actually spent money, built a football ground, for the local team 

    It’s actually bollocks 

    But I am a bit pissed now, so I will tell the true story when I have got my books out etc etc 
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,019
    Gary Poole said:
    Richard J said:
    I was interested that Dartford has an advert which celebrates that the ground was built by a Conservative Council.

    I find this quite ironic because various Tories were always critical of political opponents using political advertising for other purposes.They hated the way Ken Livingstone used to promote the GLC back in the day when it was being abolished.

    Before seeing this I had never seen an advert so party political apart from in Scotland when I had seen the SNP have advertisements at a few lower league teams.None of those ever claimed credit for building the ground.

    My question is. Who paid for it? It would seem to be inappropriate for the ratepayers to foot the bill. Therefore it is political advertising which I would suggest is a difficult avenue for any club to go down.
    I find this ironic as the architect that designed the stadium was a friend of mine and stood as a councillor for the Green Party 
    You can tell him he did a great job. It's certainly one of the better non-league grounds I've been to. Although I do love the ramshackle look of some of the older grounds that have developed piecemeal fashion over the years.
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,832
    Gary Poole said:
    Richard J said:
    I was interested that Dartford has an advert which celebrates that the ground was built by a Conservative Council.

    I find this quite ironic because various Tories were always critical of political opponents using political advertising for other purposes.They hated the way Ken Livingstone used to promote the GLC back in the day when it was being abolished.

    Before seeing this I had never seen an advert so party political apart from in Scotland when I had seen the SNP have advertisements at a few lower league teams.None of those ever claimed credit for building the ground.

    My question is. Who paid for it? It would seem to be inappropriate for the ratepayers to foot the bill. Therefore it is political advertising which I would suggest is a difficult avenue for any club to go down.
    I find this ironic as the architect that designed the stadium was a friend of mine and stood as a councillor for the Green Party 
    Why is it ironic?
    Did he pay for it?

    or was it just an architect doing their job ? 
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  • CatfordCat
    CatfordCat Posts: 218
    It's not that unusual for councils to advertise, or seek recognition of projects they have contributed to - I seem to remember Lewisham council sponsoring a minor football team in the borough in the late 80s, but both this and the 'GLC - working for London' campaigns in the mid 80s didn't specifically mention a political party.

    But there are rules round these things, and there's definitely something that draws a line between advertising something that X council has done and something that X party has done.

    If this advert mentions a political party, then it should not be paid for out of public / council funds, but be paid for by that political party, in the same way that in some places you get something through the door now and then saying how great your council is, which can be paid for by the ratepayers, but the one that comes round before the election saying how great this party has been in running your council - vote for us, has to be paid for by the party.
  • Gary Poole
    Gary Poole Posts: 1,874
    MrOneLung said:
    Gary Poole said:
    Richard J said:
    I was interested that Dartford has an advert which celebrates that the ground was built by a Conservative Council.

    I find this quite ironic because various Tories were always critical of political opponents using political advertising for other purposes.They hated the way Ken Livingstone used to promote the GLC back in the day when it was being abolished.

    Before seeing this I had never seen an advert so party political apart from in Scotland when I had seen the SNP have advertisements at a few lower league teams.None of those ever claimed credit for building the ground.

    My question is. Who paid for it? It would seem to be inappropriate for the ratepayers to foot the bill. Therefore it is political advertising which I would suggest is a difficult avenue for any club to go down.
    I find this ironic as the architect that designed the stadium was a friend of mine and stood as a councillor for the Green Party 
    Why is it ironic?
    Did he pay for it?

    or was it just an architect doing their job ? 
    No he wasn’t just an architect doing his job, he tendered for the contract putting forward a design that at the time was the most ecological football stadium anywhere in the world, it won many awards and he was approached by Barcelona as a result about their stadium design and upgrading. So I would say he had a lot more to do with it than the council just allocating tax payers money.

    Stig, I wish I could send him your praises, sadly he is no longer with us. But that and some other projects he did are a great legacy
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,839
    Lordflashheart said:
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
    It doesn't have the word Conservative on it though. 


  • Richard J
    Richard J Posts: 8,030
    edited July 2023
    killerandflash said:
    Lordflashheart said:
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
    It doesn't have the word Conservative on it though. 


    That is a different board to the one I am refying to .The advert in the ground clearly says Built by a Conservative Council.

    I hope that public money wasn't spent on this.

    It is even more ironic if a Green Party member designed it 
  • CatfordCat
    CatfordCat Posts: 218
    killerandflash said:

    It doesn't have the word Conservative on it though. 


    and blue and white seems (from a quick look at their website) to be dartford council's colours.

    don't know how long that's been their colours, and / or whether they were adopted on political grounds - i read once that there was somewhere (in the days when councils ran corporation bus fleets) where the corporation bus livery tended to change when the council changed political hands.

    although lewisham council tends to be blue for things like dustcarts and street signs (and have been ever since i can remember) and lewisham council hasn't been tory controlled since 1971...
  • TelMc32
    TelMc32 Posts: 9,042
    killerandflash said:
    Lordflashheart said:
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
    It doesn't have the word Conservative on it though. 


    If you had pointed your camera exactly opposite that sign/the dugouts, you would have seen the sign which takes up a fair amount of that side of the stand. Far bigger than any of the advertising hoardings you have shown there.
  • BR7_addick
    BR7_addick Posts: 10,210
    edited July 2023
    CAFCTrev said:
    Arent we all Tories at Charlton based on what the Barnsley fans were yelling at us last season?
    Appreciate this isn’t a reflection of all Barnsley at all.  But when we beat them 0-6 I was in the walkabout before the game and a sizeable EDL March went past the pub.  Maybe sit this one out Barnsley 👍🏻 
  • seth plum
    seth plum Posts: 53,448
    Princes Park cites ‘a Conservative Council’ on the sign opposite the Tunnel.
    One good thing about the ground is that huge sculpture of something like a player, or spectator, or linesperson on the terrace opposite the main stand.
    Tories or not, the sculpture is cool.
  • Badger
    Badger Posts: 4,842
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,619
    killerandflash said:
    Lordflashheart said:
    killerandflash said:
    To be fair that banner celebrates Dartford Council, and not a particular party. After all Charlton have plenty of links with Greenwich 
    Have to call you out on that - no offence - if it didn’t have the word ‘Conservative’ then you are on the money - sadly it has that word ….
    It doesn't have the word Conservative on it though. 


    There are 2 signs - I am referring to the other sign, which defo states ‘Conservative’ - opposite side of the pitch to the sign in your post 
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  • Richard J
    Richard J Posts: 8,030
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
  • JohnnyH2
    JohnnyH2 Posts: 5,341
    Richard J said:
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
    pay for the ground or the hoarding?
  • Richard J
    Richard J Posts: 8,030
    JohnnyH2 said:
    Richard J said:
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
    pay for the ground or the hoarding?
    The hoarding.
  • southamptonaddick
    southamptonaddick Posts: 4,054
    Richard J said:
    JohnnyH2 said:
    Richard J said:
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
    pay for the ground or the hoarding?
    The hoarding.
    Do you know if they paid for it or was it part of the deal to include a couple of hoardings?
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,330
    I'd be very interested to hear any anecdotes, views or stories @Airman Brown would care to share on this topic
  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,619
    Dartford Council did fund the construction of Princes Park, and still own it - cost was circa £7m in 2006
  • Richard J
    Richard J Posts: 8,030
    southamptonaddick said:
    Richard J said:
    JohnnyH2 said:
    Richard J said:
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
    pay for the ground or the hoarding?
    The hoarding.
    Do you know if they paid for it or was it part of the deal to include a couple of hoardings?
    I don't know which is why I asked the question.

    I am uneasy that it is so blatantly Party political and if it was paid for by the ratepayers then it seems inappropriate.

    In my experience football clubs need the goodwill of local politicians of all persuasions and they wouldn't wish to be identified with one political party so publicly.
  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,914
    Richard J said:
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
    I'd rather pay for lower league grounds, than those owned by multi millionaires 
  • Richard J
    Richard J Posts: 8,030
    shine166 said:
    Richard J said:
    Badger said:
    a Conservative Council sign might be something to do with Labour breaking an election pledge to bring Dartford Football Club back home.

    Council Leader Jeremy Kite (Conservative) announced and then built a great non league stadia. 

    The stadium is owned by Dartford Borough Council.
    My point is should ratepayers pay for it?

    If you think they should it opens a real can of worms.
    I'd rather pay for lower league grounds, than those owned by multi millionaires 
    Agreed.

    I made it clear that it is the advert which I am referring to.

    Claiming credit in a partisan way feels like political advertising rather than promoting local services.

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