Fan power has ensured the removal of all tangerine 888sport branding from Deepdale.
The club's main sponsor, 888sport, decided to hand the power back to the PNE fans by offering them the chance to vote in order to banish all tangerine branding from Deepdale, after fans took to social media, claiming the brand colour bares too close a resemblance to our rivals from the Fylde coast.
The North End supporters were out in force, and after a social media frenzy, the Deepdale faithful incredibly managed to secure the 1,000 votes needed in under an hour! The poll is now approaching 4,000 votes in favour of the colour switch.
As a result of the fans’ voting, former PNE striker Neil Mellor has offered his hand in helping remove the tangerine from the stadium ahead of the Lancashire derby, live on television this weekend. 172m of branding throughout the stadium will be replaced in total, which is almost twice the size of Big Ben, including perimeter boards and TV gantry boards.
Mellor, who scored 38 goals in 151 appearances for North End, said: “Like the Preston North End fans, I wasn’t too sure about the tangerine around the stadium, and I’m delighted that something is being done about it – so much so that I got stuck in and helped out myself! It’s great to see 888sport listen to the supporters, for a sponsor to be so proactive and take a fans first approach like this is superb.”
The changes haven't gone unnoticed in the current squad either with midfielder Paul Gallagher adding: "It looks miles better, when I was out there playing it used to hurt my eyes looking at that colour. It looks a lot better, the fans are passionate and everyone knows the rivalry between the two teams so it's good that they have listened to the supporters and put the fans first.
"I'm sure they will notice it when they come to the game on Saturday and it looks a lot better.
"It's a family club, everyone listens because the supporters are a big factor in the football team so putting the fans first is important and it looks much better."
Itai Pazner, Senior Vice President and Head of B2C at 888 Holdings said: "Firstly, a huge thank you to the Deepdale faithful for taking the time to vote. We received over 1000 votes in less than an hour for the 888sport 'tangerine' to be ousted from the ground. We have been true to our word and have removed all tangerine branding ahead of the Blackburn game this weekend. We hope the new colours spur on the fans and team towards the playoff positions!”
The activity is the latest in 888sport’s #FansFirst fan programme, following the brand’s initiative of providing free travel to select midweek games, announced earlier this season.