By David Gold
May 9 – Stoke City have agreed a deal which sees bet365 become their shirt sponsor for the next three seasons, replacing Britannia, though their partnership with the club has also been extended.
Britannia, part of the Co-operative Group, are becoming the official banking and community partner of the team and will retain naming rights to the club’s stadium.
Betting giant bet365, who have the same owners as Stoke – the Coates family – will seek to maximise the exposure they will receive from a partnership with a Premier League team.
Britannia’s name had been on the shirts of Stoke City for the last 15 years (pictured below on striker Cameron Jerome), and they will now work on initiatives in the local community to help get more children into sport and enjoying healthier lifestyles.
The deal comes off the back of one of the best seasons in Stoke’s history, as they enjoyed a surprise run to the last 32 of the Europa League, before being knocked out by Valencia.
They are also about to start their fifth successive season in the Premier League.
City’s chief executive Tony Scholes said: “This is a very exciting development for the football club which gives us every chance to continue progressing forward.
“We have the opportunity now to work closely with two very successful local companies on two different fronts.
“Whilst Britannia and the Co-operative Group focus more on local and national markets, bet365, who are the largest private sector employers in the area, operate on a global basis.”
Denise Coates, the joint chief executive of bet365, added: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement to become Stoke City’s shirt sponsors.
“It is a perfect fit for us as a Stoke-on-Trent-based company with a global reach and international markets to become shirt sponsor of our local Premier League club.
“This builds upon the extensive sponsorship, LED and advertising we are already committed to at many Premier League clubs and within the sports industry in general.
“It also further demonstrates our long term commitment to the club.”
Barry Tootell, chief executive of the Co-operative Bank, said: “Our relationship with Stoke City is very special.
“North Staffordshire is a key trading area for the whole of The Co-operative Group and is an area in which we have thousands of members, customers and colleagues.
“Developing our involvement with the club’s community programme is a natural fit for our Co-operative businesses because it is extremely important for us to support areas in which we trade.
“The Co-operative Bank Football Roadshow which we worked on with the club this season was a huge success for us and we received excellent feedback from schools, parents and children.
“The community aspect of our relationship is very important to us and I am delighted that we are about to begin this new chapter in our relationship with the club.
“We look forward to working with the Football Club to develop a truly innovative programme for the local community.”
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