A community charity expects donations to soar and brand awareness to grow “tenfold” after it was chosen to adorn the shirts of a famous football club.
A pioneering deal has seen six businesses put forward money to sponsor Rotherham United’s shirts – but to agree to receive no publicity, with a charity taking the cherished spot.
That charity is Rotherham Hospice, whose director of income generation and communication Stephen King said: “We were absolutely delighted to hear the news. This will make a huge difference to how well the people of Rotherham know us.
“We have been running for 25 years but now we expect our brand awareness to increase tenfold, as we can access a new audience.
“We also now expect an increase in donations from Rotherham United supporters and the wider football community.”
The football club said: “Here at Rotherham United we are eternally grateful to the amazing people who work at the Rotherham Hospice and provide our community with such a comforting, supportive and dignified environment, often in the most difficult of circumstances in life.
“The Rotherham Hospice requires a staggering £3m per year to allow them to continue to carry out this invaluable service.
“Thanks to our new Diamond Partners [the six business sponsors], we will now be taking the hospice name and branding around the country with us and broadcasting it to the global audience that the second tier of English football attracts.”
Rotherham Hospice deputy clinical director Jayne Lowe said: ”By having Rotherham Hospice front and centre on the RUFC shirts, we can let people know we exist and are here to help.
“The difference hospice care makes to people’s lives is amazing. All of this we provide free of charge, but only with help from our amazing supporters like Rotherham United.”
Rotherham play in English football’s second tier, the Championship. This season they will face high-profile teams including Leeds United, Leicester City, Norwich City and Sunderland.