Stoke agree stadium naming rights deal with Bet 365 ahead of Britannia Stadium refurb
Premier League club Stoke City have renamed their stadium The Bet 365 stadium after agreeing a naming-rights deal with their owners.
From next season Stoke’s home ground will no longer be named the Britannia Stadium after the club agreed a six year deal with Bet 365 who have owned the club since 2006.
In addition to the naming rights the UK gambling brand also extended its shirt sponsorship with the Potters for a further three years.
Revenue from the deal will also assist the club in its plans to increase the capacity of the ground which was built in 1997.
"The Premier League is constantly evolving and to ensure that Stoke City remain as competitive as possible it's important we explore as many ways as possible of generating revenue,” said Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes.
Scholes added that it was “important that we attracted a new stadium naming rights partner.
"We also felt the time was right to redevelop the corner of the ground between the DPD and Marston's Pedigree Stands. Planning permission has been in place for some time but it was important we carried out the work when we felt the Club was ready for an increase in seat capacity."
Naming rights deals have become increasingly popular in football and Stoke join a number of Premier League clubs including Leicester City, Arsenal and Man City in agreeing deals to have brands headline their stadium. West Ham United are close to following suit with reports that the London club are in advanced talks with Indian technology giant Mahindra to rename the Olympic Stadium which they will move into at the end of the current season.