A football club is to change the name of one of its stands after a new sponsorship deal saw it rebranded “the Gilbert & Rose West Stand”, triggering mockery on social media over the association with one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers.
Southend United, who play in the National League which is the fifth tier of English football, signed a commercial partnership with a local estate agent in Leigh-on-Sea.
The juxtaposition of “Gilbert & Rose” with “West Stand” inadvertently saw Rose and West appear next to each other on season ticket cards and the club’s website.
Southend, who began their season on Saturday, are now to discuss “a different arrangement of words” with the sponsor. A spokesperson told PA news agency: “They are a fantastic local estate agents and we look forward to working with them during this partnership, which will include a number of community projects.” Advertising boards around the club’s Roots Hall ground, which simply read Gilbert & Rose, will be unaffected.