OPINION has been raging since Saints confirmed that Langtree Park is to be renamed the Totally Wicked Stadium from next year.

The club announced a five-year partnership deal, including naming rights, with the e-cigarette company last week. Saints say it is a record sponsorship deal.

However, dozens of fans have expressed dismay over renaming the stadium, citing the debate over vaping and the uncertainty of its long-term effects.

They also argue the title The Totally Wicked Stadium has opened the club to ridicule. 

But there are also plenty of supporters who are backing the club, believing the commercial pressures facing rugby league mean Saints' top brass could not afford to back away from a money-spinning deal. 

At the heart of the debate is the subject of e-cigarettes and the conflicting opinion that surrounds their use.

A review published by Public Health England has concluded that e-cigs are 95 per cent less harmful than smoking and that there is no evidence they act as a route into smoking.

However, the EU Tobacco Products Directive placed advertising restrictions on e-cigs and stated all packaging must be child proof, while the World Health Organisation has called for a ban in public places.

Saints fan Derek Wakefield, 71, says he has asked for a refund on his membership for 2017 following the announcement. 

Derek, from Newton-le-Willows, said: “If I had known this before, I wouldn’t have taken my membership out again. I have asked them for my money back. I’m not going to go to this stadium while it is called this. It is tacky and it’s not right. It’s just awful.” 

Retired firefighter Jim Stevenson added: “As a season ticket holder I am disgusted that Saints have associated themselves with this product; never mind naming our stadium after it”.

However, others said they understood the reasons behind the deal. 

On Facebook, Mark Lyons wrote: “Vaping inside the ground has always been allowed so let’s calm down. It’s a big money deal and provides financial security for the next five years. Just like KR will always be KR and not the GPW, LP will always be Langtree Park”.

Geoff Bowling wrote: “It’s a business deal, you don’t go to watch the stadium, you go to watch the Saints. I bet Bradford would have loved this deal. You either sink or swim ”

Confirming the change, chief executive Mike Rush said: “We all know that clubs can no longer survive on attendances and TV money, which people seem to think are the lifeblood of clubs.”