Co-owner Kevin McCabe is optimistic Sheffield United’s record shirt deal with global financial broker Union Standard Group will lead to more lucrative sponsorship agreements.
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 deal will see USG have their logo on both the club’s shirt front and sleeves and the financial boost for the Blades has been described by the club as “significant.”
Welcome USG#SUFC 🔴 pic.twitter.com/xTKIyjw4gF— Sheffield United (@SUFC_tweets) June 24, 2019
McCabe, who was in Hong Kong last week to help finalise the agreement with the Australia-based firm, said: “It’s a record-breaking deal for United. Compared to deals we’ve had in the Championship it must be 20-fold. It’s a fantastic deal.
“What we need is the spin-off and having USG as our shirt sponsor should and will, due to the connections they may have, bring other sponsors from other countries.
“That has to be achieved by us more and more. The first exhibit of that is this shirt sponsor.
“It’s about learning what we have now got in Premier League football to make even more from corporate sponsorships. The minute we were promoted, we had people on the phone. It didn’t take long.
“We could have had maybe another dozen to look at if we had wanted to, but we got there in a deal that is cracking for the club.
“But we have got to get our skates on. We must not lose the opportunity as it comes because we are in one league. So lets get five or six more deals like this one and then you have got a lot more money for players.”
The Blades, back in the Premier League for the first time since 2007, have yet to make a signing this summer but boss Chris Wilder is hopeful of a breakthrough soon.
Press Association Sport understands the club are in dialogue with QPR about a possible deal for winger Luke Freeman, while Wilder is also keen to bring Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson back to Bramall Lane.
Swansea striker Oli McBurnie and Brentford forward Neal Maupay have also been heavily linked with Wilder’s side.
“We have identified players. We want players of a certain age with a hunger and desire to go and compete in the Premier League and prove themselves,” said Wilder.
“There have been a lot of names bandied about but we are working away and are confident about the ones we have targeted. We are an attractive club to come to.
“We are hopeful now everybody is coming back from holidays and breaks and I think in the next week or two that everything will kick on and we are confident we will start seeing some names come in and that we will get deals done permanently.”
