By Thai Newsroom Reporters
WHETHER ONE OF Thailand’s novel tourism campaigns to raise arrivals from overseas would be more or less successful could probably depend on Sunday’s pivotal phenomenon in a place so literally far away that one might probably deem it irrelevant. West Ham United are waging their final battle at London Stadium to avoid relegation from the Premier League, the top English football system, with revenue from the Thai tourism campaign emblazoned in front-of-shirt sponsorship at stake.
The ironically named East London football club and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are literally sharing common interest with the former initially offering to promote the latter’s novel tourism campaign on the front of the Hammers’ shirts with an “amazing Thailand” slogan beginning next season in exchange for some 438 million baht in annual sponsorship fee.
But the price will drastically drop by up to 70% if West Ham are relegated from top flight to the Championship, the second tier of the English football echelon, no matter if the Thai tourism agency which could consequently save some 307 million baht in its annual expenditure may be happy about that or not.
The English Football League resolved to no longer allow all English football clubs to advertise gambling sponsors in front-of-shirt style from next season. For that reason, the “amazing Thailand” slogan was designed to be seen in place of Boylesports, an Irish betting firm.
However, the sharp cut in West Ham’s sponsorship fee, if the Hammers are eventually relegated upon the end of the current season, would noticeably accompany a substantial drop in attendance and ticket revenue as well as a reduced value of broadcasting rights for world viewers consequently suited to their lowered status.
Though the number of Thai fans of West Ham who are playing Leeds in their final game of the season is reportedly lower than that of their London derby, survival rivals Tottenham Hotspur who are playing Everton, the potential of Thailand’s tourism promotion via the front-of-shirt sponsorship could be fruitful to some extent, no matter what club it may be seen with as long as they are playing in the Premier League, probably the world’s most-watched sporting events week in, week out.
Whether West Ham are staying up in top flight will not only decisively depend on a Hammers victory but a Spurs defeat, albeit odds being 86% for the latter to survive. The Hammers with 36 points will be relegated if the Spurs with 38 points only draw, let alone win, no matter if the Hammers will win as well. In case of equal points between the two London clubs finally earned on Sunday, the Hammers will go down and the Spurs will stay up purely on a goal-difference basis since the former are literally having a dozen more goals-against than the latter.
As if to rub salt into wound, West Ham would likely be obliged to pay half the annual rent to the Greater London Authority for their 68,000-seater London Stadium, amounting to about 96 million baht, upon the start of next season in August whilst Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo may as well part company with the Hammers if they are relegated to the second tier.
CAPTIONS:
Top – An image of a West Ham player wearing a shirt with “amazing Thailand” slogan emblazoned on it. Photo – West Ham Network
Insert – Tourism Authority of Thailand Deputy Governor Nithee Seeprae showing West Ham shirts with “amazing Thailand” slogan on them. Photo – PPTVHD36
Front Page – A West Ham player wearing a shirt with “amazing Thailand” slogan on it. Photo – Hammers Hub @HammersHubWHUFC and shared on X.com
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‘Amazing Thailand’ on West Ham shirts next season
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