Liverpool FC announce their biggest ever shirt sponsorship deal

Liverpool FC and Standard Chartered Bank announced today that they had agreed a four year deal for the bank to become the club's main sponsor - the largest commercial agreement in Liverpool's history. The agreement, which starts in July 2010 and runs through to the end of the 2013-14 season, will see the bank's name and logo appear on the Liverpool shirt. Press reports are suggesting that the deal will be worth some £80m to the club over the four year period.

Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, ranks among the top twenty-five companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The bank has more than doubled its revenue and profits over the last five years and has performed consistently well, delivering record results throughout the recent financial crisis. Liverpool FC enjoys a global following, most recently evidenced in its pre-season tour of Singapore and Thailand. As official club sponsors, Standard Chartered will enjoy a major rights package which is aimed at allowing it to significantly step up its brand awareness across its core markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Ambitions Christian Purslow, Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club, pictured (above right) signing the contract alongside Standard Chartered chairman John Peace, commented: "This partnership brings together two highly successful organisations with a really strong cultural and strategic fit. "The sponsorship opportunity attracted a huge level of interest from a wide array of globally recognised brands and in Standard Chartered we believe we have the ideal partner to move forward and help develop our global ambitions for the club.     "It is a real sign of the progress we have made at Liverpool that we have been able to secure the largest ever commercial deal in our history". Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered PLC, said: "This is a great partnership. We are excited to be working with such a famous global brand as Liverpool Football Club for the next four years. This is an outstanding opportunity for Standard Chartered, our customers and shareholders, and for Liverpool, its players and fans. "We see many opportunities to continue growing our business, particularly as Asia, Africa and the Middle East are emerging from the global downturn more quickly than the West. This sponsorship will drive a step change in brand recognition in our key markets and will provide an additional catalyst for our business growth."