Newfoundland axes unpopular U.K. soccer sponsorship. Was it really so bad?

Barrow's Ged Garner, left, challenges for the ball with Chelsea's Renato Veiga during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Chelsea and Barrow at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Kirsty Wigglesworth

ST. JOHN’S — The Newfoundland and Labrador government’s unorthodox sponsorship of a fourth-tier soccer team in England is over, but not all marketers agree it deserved the widespread scorn it received.

The $171,000 sponsorship deal was signed in 2024 by the former Liberal government, which hoped to attract skilled workers from the U.K. by emblazoning the province’s name and immigration website on Barrow AFC’s jerseys and other marketing material.

The Progressive Conservatives said the effort was a waste of money, and they are not renewing the contract when it expires in June.

For Melissa James, an associate business professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, the situation is a case study in why governments don’t often take creative risks.

“Innovative campaigns take time to produce results, and marketing involves some risk-taking,” said James, the faculty’s associate dean, in an email. “Right now, governments don’t have taxpayers’ permission to accept this sort of risk when they are worried about the cost of living and health care.”

But the campaign could have paid off, she said.

Barrow AFC is based in Barrow-in-Furness, in northern England. The team plays in League Two, which is the fourth tier in the English Football League. They have tens of thousands of followers on social media and their home stadium fits several thousand people.

The Liberals signed the deal as the English government was making it more difficult for immigrants to gain permanent residency, and the former government hoped they would see Newfoundland and Labrador’s message of welcome. The arrangement included mentions and ads for Newfoundland and Labrador on Barrow’s social media channels, in the team stadium and on its live streaming site.

Every province is hoping to lure international workers by shovelling money into ads, job fairs and trade missions, James said. A different approach -- a soccer team sponsorship -- could have delivered better exposure and more media coverage, she said.

“This is what marketers try to do: try and find an unconventional channel to gain attention,” James said.

Immigration recruitment is “a long game” that requires some risk, she added.

Dan Shaw, teaching fellow with Dalhousie University’s management faculty, agrees that good marketing involves taking risks. But it’s difficult to take risks with public money, he said.

He felt the sponsorship was “a reach.”

“There’s no connectivity,” Shaw said in an interview. “Most people (in Barrow-in-Furness) would never even have heard of Newfoundland.”

Lin Paddock, minister of jobs, growth and rural development, said the Progressive Conservative government could find no results from the sponsorship.

“The provincial government is ensuring spending decisions are aligned with current priorities such as better health care and safer communities,” he said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2026.