Sheffield United have announced financial broker Union Standard Group as the club’s new shirt sponsor ahead of their return to the Premier League.
The exact value of the partnership has not been disclosed, but it represents the biggest sponsorship deal in the club’s history and will run for three years.
The financial boost for the Blades has been described by the club as “significant”.
Representatives of USG, whose headquarters are in Sydney, Australia, met with United co-chairman Kevin McCabe in Hong Kong last week to help finalise the agreement.
The deal, which will see USG have their logo on both the club’s shirt front and sleeves, was announced at a press conference at Bramall Lane on Monday afternoon, attended by McCabe, chief executive Stephen Bettis, manager Chris Wilder and captain Billy Sharp.
“We are really excited to have USG on board as we begin our journey back in the Premier League. Having an international sponsor on board shows just how far the club has come, both on and off the pitch,” said Bettis.
The Blades are back in the Premier League for the first time since their controversial relegation from the top flight in 2007 following the Carlos Tevez affair involving West Ham.
McCabe admitted the road back had been long but said he now feels Sheffield United are “an international club in the making”.
He added: “This takes us to another area of the world and as a partnership we will make huge growth.
“It is bigger than the club, it is the whole city of Sheffield. Sheffield is now the only Yorkshire club in the Premier League – it’s a bigger football city than Leeds.
“It was a horrible day in 2007 when we got relegated and it’s taken 12 bloody long years to get us back. For that I thank Chris Wilder and his leadership and drive.”
