Bristol Street Motors Supports Sunderland AFC For New Season
Award-winning automotive retailer group Vertu Motors has extended its support for Sunderland AFC ahead of the 2024/25 EFL Championship season, aligning its partnership with the Club to sit alongside its Bristol Street Motors brand.
Vertu has been partnered with the Black Cats since the 2021/22 season, forging strong local ties with the Club. Sunderland’s iconic Stadium of Light is based little more than thirteen miles away from 17 of the Group’s dealerships, in addition to its head office in Team Valley, Gateshead.
The first year of the partnership saw Sunderland AFC gain promotion from League One, with a victory against Wycombe Wanderers FC in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, with the last two seasons seeing the Club consolidate its position in the Championship.
As well as supporting Sunderland in a range of activities both on and off the pitch, Vertu has also been able to utilise The Academy of Light - the Club’s state-of-the-art training facility – to host a number of charity football games, raising thousands of pounds for worthy causes in the process.
The new agreement will now see Sunderland supported by Bristol Street Motors, a major retail brand that is part of the wider Vertu Motors group and an Official Partner of the EFL through its multi-year title sponsorship 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 – now under the leadership of French Head Coach Regis Le Bris – seek to make a return to the top flight of the English game for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
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.”
Bristol Street Motors announced its multi-year Official Partnership with the EFL, including title sponsorship of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, in November 2023.
During the 2023/24 season, the wider Vertu Motors group also held partnerships with Burnley FC, Plymouth Argyle FC and Middlesbrough FC – as well as Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League - as part of a wider sports partnership portfolio.