Walsall Football Club have confirmed the signing of a new three-year sponsorship deal with the University of Wolverhampton, which will see the University continue to sponsor the away stand until July 2020.
In a statement, which was released via Saddlers.co.uk, the club confirm that the new deal will also feature student engagement activity and lead to placement and volunteering opportunities for students at the University. The deal will also see the University’s branding displayed on internal stadium advertising and the digital scoreboard and a match day hospitality package.
The sponsorship is part of a long-running relationship between the University and The Saddlers. The University’s Institute of Sport, which is based at its Walsall Campus, already works closely with the club providing fitness monitoring, sports science and psychology support to young players in its academy.
Walsall's Academy’s Head of Sports Science, Desmond Duffus, is a graduate of the University having studied a Masters in Sports and Exercise. Two current students studying for the MRes in Sport and Exercise are currently on placements with the club looking at fitness and sport science and performance and video analysis.
Walsall Chief Executive Stefan Gamble spoke to club journalists and welcomed the new agreement, he said: "We are delighted that our partnership with the University of Wolverhampton has been extended until 2020. The club’s ongoing relationship with the University has been mutually beneficial and we are delighted that students from the university have sought and found employment and placements with us.
"We hope that continues, and we believe the Walsall community will benefit from this partnership. Walsall Football Club looks forward to continuing our close work with the University of Wolverhampton over the course of this new deal."