IT was only a matter of time.
After a trip to work in Barcelona last week I knew my next overseas assignment wasn’t far away.
And this week I was off to the Far East.
Yes, Hull.
I know I’ve used that line before, but bear with me.
There’s a method in this madness.
I think.
I was at the opening match of the rugby league season last night at the invitation of Jeremy Fenn.
Jeremy is a former chief executive of Leeds United – it must have been a long time ago because when he left the team were fourth in the Premier League, debt-free with £10m in the bank.
He went on to launch Sports Internet with one of Yorkshire’s most successful entrepreneurs, Peter Wilkinson, which they sold to Rupert Murdoch’s Sky and it became SkyBet.
Jeremy’s a serial investor in businesses and one of those in his portfolio is Ignition Group, which owns the UK’s biggest online electric radiator retailer, Ecostrad.
Over a very enjoyable lunch in William & Victoria’s in Harrogate a couple of weeks ago I caught up with Jeremy having not seen him for a few years.
He told me that Ecostrad had signed a deal to become a major sponsor of Super League club Hull FC which is owned by his friend and former Leeds United director Adam Pearson.
Best known for his involvement in football at Leeds, Hull City and Derby County, Adam is now focused on rugby league in a city which is split down the middle when its two clubs, Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers, clash.
Rugby league is often described as a welcoming, family friendly sport.
Not in Hull for a derby match.
Last night’s match was the first one I’ve been to in rugby league where the rival supporters are segregated.
It has been likened to the Old Firm Derby between Rangers and Celtic and the Merseyside Derby between Liverpool and Everton.
It divides the city.
Into this maelstrom enter a radiator.
As part of its sponsorship Ecostrad has created a new mascot for Hull FC which – allow me to quote correctly – “brings to life Ecostrad’s best-selling iQ Ceramic radiator”.
Hull FC has been quick to reassure concerned supporters that its existing mascots, Airlie Bird and Girlie Bird, are not being retired, just complemented by the new mascot.
A report by BBC TV’s Look North found Hull FC supporters rather bemused by the giant foam radiator.
Stopping passersby on the streets of Hull, the BBC reporter showed a photo of the new mascot and asked what it was.
The good people of Hull’s wondered if it was a lilo, a coffin, a liquorice allsort or a cushion.
When one chap was told it was actually a radiator, he replied: “Not in our house it isn’t!”
Clearly the rugby league club and Ignition Group, which owns Ecostrad, have been happy to have a bit of fun with this and are not taking it too seriously.
Fans have grudgingly accepted that if West Brom could have Boiler Man as a mascot from its sponsorship deal with Ideal Boilers then why not have a radiator?
With supporters invited to name the new mascot, James Clark, CEO of Hull FC, went on the Hawksbee and Jacobs show on talkSPORT radio to listen to suggestions and to reveal that the new mascot had gone viral with Ecostrad seeing a huge uplift in its social media engagement.
Helpful radio listeners had come up with names including Radiator McRadiatorface, Hetty the Heater, Anita the Heater, Rodney Hotter and Paul Heat-On – named after the Beautiful South founder who started with Hull band The Housemartins.
Although my personal favourite was: “Rad Hull”, although I think there might have been a fight between Airlie Bird and Girlie Bird about who took on the role of Emu.
Confused younger readers can Google it.
With a slap-up meal and front row seats in the director’s box at Hull’s MKM Stadium in front of a capacity 20,000-plus crowd last night, I was looking forward to seeing the unveiling of the new mascot who has now been officially named as “Watty” – a less exciting but perhaps more sensible name than some of the others.
Sadly, I never saw Watty.
Apparently an early appearance before kick-off had seen the new mascot greeted with a chant of: “What the f**kin’ hell is that?”
“Opposition supporters can be so cruel,” I said sympathetically to Jeremy.
“It was both sets of supporters who were chanting it,” he replied.
With home side Hull FC getting two red cards and on the wrong side of a 22-0 result, I enquired whether there would be an opportunity to see Watty on the pitch again.
Apparently the junior member of the marketing department who “volunteered” to wear the mascot outfit was so traumatised by the pre-match experience that he refused to go out wearing it again at half-time.
I’m sure he will overcome his fears to return to the pitch as Watty in the future.
And Hull FC’s supporters, when they’ve overcome the pain of a derby day defeat by their bitter city rivals, will warm to the radiator.
In the meantime, Hull FC owner Adam Pearson is not going to miss the opportunity to highlight the benefits of a partnership with the club.
When Jeremy Fenn messaged him to tell him he was taking me as a guest to last night’s match and it may feature in my blog, Adam replied: “Can you tell him to put in blog something like…If you care looking to take a first step into sports sponsorship then rugby league and Hull FC specifically offer great value and ROI particularly with the new BBC and Sky TV deals where all games are televised and on free-to-air through the BBC…unique amongst sports TV deals.”
I definitely think the radiator mascot has delivered a decent ‘return on investment’.
I may even apply for the role of Watty myself.
Because you know what they say: if you can’t stand the heat, don’t dress up as a radiator mascot.
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FAREWELL then Steve Wright.
The BBC DJ has been on the radio for as long as I’ve been listening to it.
First on Radio 1 and then Radio 2, his afternoon shows attracted millions of listeners and he pioneered the “zoo” radio format, first seen in America, in the UK.
Featuring a “posse” in the studio, a cast of crazy characters, silly noises, factoids and interviews, the music was often secondary to everything else going on, and none of us listening minded that.
A number of people have told me how upset they were about his sudden death this week at the age of just 69.
That’s probably because they had spent more time in his company than they had with many of their family and friends.
A good DJ becomes a companion.
Steve Wright was replaced by Scott Mills in 2022 and I have to say I haven’t warmed to his smug approach.
It is ironic that at the time of his death, Wright was due to discuss getting involved with a planned new station that the BBC was launching to play music from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
It had perhaps realised that the departure of its “old guard” such as Wright and Ken Bruce had left a gap in its offering which has seen it haemorrhaging listeners to commercial rivals such as Greatest Hits, Gold and Boom Radio.
It did seem slightly ironic that the very same BBC executives paying tribute to Steve Wright as a “broadcasting legend” were those that had made the decision to ditch him from his regular weekday show.
Some of the characters he created, first at Radio 1, then Radio 2, were brilliant.
Mr Angry, Sid the Manager.
I remember one, Gervase the Hairdresser, who rang up Wright with various camp observations about life in the salon.
I can’t find any clips but I can’t think that is because it was in any way offensive.
It fitted into the long line of camp British humour that runs from Julian and Sandy in the 1960s to Alan Carr today.
One feature on the Steve Wright Show that I hadn’t ever heard but discovered through clips on YouTube was “Ask Elvis”.
Listeners would phone in with questions about life which would be answered by a brilliant Elvis impressionist who would then finish the slot by giving a rendition of a modern song, such as the theme from Frozen.
I can’t find the clip, but I read that the most hilarious Ask Elvis was when The King got a phone call with a question from Sweep from The Sooty Show…
Another character was Mr Mad.
He would phone in with his thoughts on who was in the news that week that he considered “mad”.
Describing one person, he said: “He’s completely Hornchurch.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Steve Wright.
“Five stops short of Barking…”
Have a great weekend.