Stadium MK top honchos naming rights hunt

Article posted by Coliseum, January 26^th, 2026

Image: Stadium MK , Zorro77, CC BY-SA 2.5

The naming rights for Stadium MK, the Arena MK and the National Bowl (UK) are up for grabs.

‘MKCITIZEN’ stated that following MK Dons’ takeover from the Kuwaiti-based consortium led by Fahad Al-Ghanim last season plans have been afoot to seek a long-term business partner to join the group.

The 30,500-capacity Stadium MK is a football stadium in the Denbigh district of Bletchley in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England (UK). Designed by Populous and opened in 2007 it is the home ground of the EFL League Two side Milton Keynes Dons.

The 5,000-capacity Arena MK is a multipurpose indoor arena in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England (UK) located beside Stadium MK. The 3,420 square meters multiuse event space is positioned over three floors and holds music and sporting events, conferences, exhibitions, and parties.

The National Bowl is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England (UK). The site was a former clay pit filled in and raised to form an amphitheater using sub-soil excavated by the many new developments in the area. It has a maximum capacity of 65,000.

‘MKCITIZEN’ further stated that the search is already underway with a worldwide net cast to find the right candidates though nothing has been signed as yet.

Said Dons Chief Executive Neil Hart, “We are actively working on securing a stadium naming rights partner for the group. That will include the naming rights to the stadium, the arena and potentially the National Bowl as well. That’s active and there is work currently happening in the United Kingdom, Europe and in the Middle East via Fahad with his network and contacts there. And we are actively working Stateside as well. It’s an exciting opportunity for us and the group. We’re still in the process of finding a partner, we’re having lots of meetings with lots of information going out to various companies who express an interest including big tech companies, companies in the City and in the Middle East and the Americas as well.”

Added Hart, “We don’t want someone to come along for one or two years, this is a long-term deal. We want a 10-year partner to come and work with us and to be by our sides.”

Half of the grounds in League One and League Two are currently named after sponsors with Hart admitting it was one of the earliest plans he considered when he moved to Milton Keynes in September 2024.

Concluded Hart, “It was something I immediately thought about in week one. I wondered why it had never been done. We are prime for it. It is a fantastic opportunity to attract a partner to come on the journey. It’s obvious to us that we could be doing this piece of work. The supporters can watch this space and we’re really excited because it is a huge opportunity for the right partner and the right business to get involved in this club and the wider group of businesses to come on the journey with us. “We’ve had some strong interest already and hopefully at some point in 2026 we’ll be ready to tell everyone what we’re doing.”

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 500+ member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue