Telnic warns football clubs face missing out on .tel domain names

by Staff, Brand Republic 14-Jan-09, 16:00

LONDON - Telnic Limited, the registry operator for the new .tel domain name, has warned that football clubs are in danger of missing out on securing their own names, as Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal make their own applications.

Spurs and Arsenal have also been joined by Major League Baseball clubs the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers in applying for their names.

A .tel is a branded delivery mechanism that allows fans to buy match tickets and enter premium rate telephone number-based competitions, among other initiatives.

Justin Hayward, communications director at Telnic, said: "With the flexibility and ease of management that a .tel domain brings, sporting clubs of all types can get closer to their fans regardless of the devices they favour.

"Manchester United alone has well in excess of 50m fans in India and Korea. Many of these use their mobile devices every day to play games, chat, and keep up with their club's news, avoiding traditional PC access."

Telnic said trademark owners including sporting clubs have until 2 February 2009 to apply for their .tel domain.