8:28 am, August 13, 2024
Dealer group Vertu Motors has extended its sponsorship of Sunderland AFC for another year as the football season gets underway.
Vertu has been partnered with the Black Cats since the start of the 2021/22 season and will once again back the men from the North East.
The extension will see Régis Le Bris’ side sponsored by Vertu’s Bristol Street Motors brand, bringing the deal in line with the outfit’s wider sponsorship of football.
The outfit is already an official partner of the English Football League (EFL) and is the title sponsor of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Bristol Street Motors has Ford, Hyundai, Vauxhall and Peugeot dealerships all local to Sunderland AFC.
The new multi-year extension to the partnership will run through to the conclusion of the 2025/26 season as the club looks to make a return to the top flight of the English game for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
The side got their season underway in the best possible way last weekend, with a 0-2 win away at Cardiff City.
Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors plc, said: ‘We are delighted to extend our relationship with Sunderland AFC into the 2024/25 season and beyond, and also to align the Club with our Bristol Street Motors brand.
‘It’s a big year for Bristol Street Motors, as the brand celebrates 100 years of business and now includes over 100 dealerships up and down the country.
‘Given Bristol Street Motors’ hugely successful role as an official partner of the EFL, as well as the fact we have a number of dealerships within walking distance of the Stadium of Light, this is the ideal time for us to extend our relationship with the club under the Bristol Street Motors brand.
‘We look forward to continuing to work alongside the club during the upcoming season, and wish the new manager and his team the best of luck on the pitch!’
Ashley Peden, chief commercial officer at Sunderland AFC, said: ‘We are delighted to continue the partnership between Sunderland AFC and Bristol Street Motors.
‘As part of the Vertu Motors group, Bristol Street Motors is the leading brand in its category, a nationally known business with deep local connections.
‘We are thrilled to work together as we grow our business and look forward to a season of success both on and off the pitch.’
