The Royal Club has announced that The Co-operative Funeralcare is to be the title sponsor of the Scottish Curling Championships for the next three years, see here.
Now, you know me. I say things as I see them. In my opinion, this really is an inappropriate sponsorship deal. I'm sorry.
Part of me says that it's great that the Royal Club has obtained sponsorship for its two main competitions. Competitive curling these days is a sport played by all ages, and by young people in particular. It is my own priority to highlight this on the Skip Cottage Curling blog, as you well know. It has taken fifty years for the sport to dispel the 'game for old men' image, which was the case when I started to play in the 1960s. The Royal Club's Area Development Officer network is geared to getting primary schoolkids involved in the sport. Which is great. But now?
The Co-operative Funeralcare Scottish Curling Championships are to be televised and webcast from the Dewar's Centre, Perth, February 13-19, no doubt with the sponsor's logos prominent.
As a Royal Club member, it just strikes me that death is not an image I want to have associated with a youthful, vibrant competition. It just seems inappropriate, however much we are all going to need a funeral director's services in the future.
Marketing? What do I know?
