New Name For Wembley Arena

Wembley Arena has a perfectly functional name that helpfully describes both its location and function. What it has hitherto lacked, of course, is a sponsor's imprimature. Fortunately this ommission has now been rectified — the northwest London venue shall henceforth be known as Wembley Arena: A Barclaycard Unwind Venue.

WAABUV, as it will seldom be known, is the beneficiary of a £10 million sponsorship package courtesy of (you've guessed it) Barclaycard. The five-year deal allows the banking giant to install contactless payment points throughout the venue, and offer customers preferential access to tickets.

Gary Twelvetree, branding top dog at Barclaycard (and no stranger to unusual names himself), claimed that his firm had "resisted the temptation to create another corporate rock venue" by allowing the Arena to retain its original name. True to a point, though the introduction of a colon into proceedings makes it read like the clunky title of another unwelcome Hollywood blockbuster sequel.

Coming soon to these pages — Londonist: A Findus Crispy Pancakes Website.