Stoke City and Staffordshire University Make Alliance Official

Stoke City have joined a partnership with Staffordshire University after both parties agreed a sponsorship agreement for Stoke’s Boothen End.

Staffordshire University will now be associated with that particular section of the Britannia Stadium after becoming official partners of the Barclays Premier League club.

The partnership builds upon a relationship which has been well-established and mutually beneficial for many years now and has been notable for the fact that Chairman Peter Coates, manager Tony Pulis and President Gordon Banks are all Honorary Doctors of the University.

One of the reasons of making this alliance official was so that they could create Brand awareness and make their brand more globalised.

In future, this popular end of the Britannia Stadium among City’s hardcore of supporters will be referred to as The Boothen End sponsored by Staffordshire University.

Tony Scholes, City’s Chief Executive, said: “This partnership continues to develop the relationship between two of the city’s foremost institutions.

“While the Football Club has made great strides forward in the last few years, the University can also be proud of its progress in that time.

“As well as the important roles that both institutions play locally, we have also helped to put the area on the map both nationally and internationally, and we therefore consider there are benefits to be gained from formalising this association with the new partnership.

“An encouraging aspect of the growth of our supporter base in the past few seasons has been the increase in the number of young fans and obviously we hope that many students, whether locally based or visiting the area, will become followers of the Club in the future.”

City’s Head of Commercial Andrew Billingham added: “This sponsorship of the Boothen End puts Staffordshire University right at the heart of the Club’s supporters and it was equally important to them to be associated with local pride because of the prominent and influential role which they play in the local community.

“The University tested the water last season with LED Perimeter advertising which worked extremely well for them in terms of exposure through the global reach of the Premier League and indeed our success in the FA Cup. Now, this Official Partnership status increases their involvement with the Club which I am sure they will find extremely beneficial.”

Paul Richards, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Staffordshire University, echoed those views, saying: “This agreement formalises what has been a close association with the Football Club for some considerable time now and one which has benefited both organisations.

“We share many of the same values and I am sure we can enhance our reputations through alliance of the two brands and through working even closer together, particularly on projects which will demonstrate our commitment to transforming the lives and aspirations of the local community.”

He added: “As well as the increased exposure that we will gain at Stoke City’s matches, there are many business to business benefits of having a much more active link.”