Sky Bet is to become the new title sponsor of The Football League under a new five-year agreement announced today. From 2013/14, The Football League's flagship competition will be titled 'The Sky Bet Football League', with its three divisions being titled 'The Sky Bet Championship', 'Sky Bet League 1' and 'Sky Bet League 2'.
This new agreement is Sky Bet's first ever off-screen football sponsorship and is aimed at building even greater awareness of Sky Bet's growing range of online and mobile betting services.
Sky Bet is currently the UK's fourth-largest online bookmaker and the fastest-growing. Sky Bet's mobile app is one of the top rated in the Apple App store and over 1 million UK residents have placed a bet with Sky Bet in the last 12 months.
Greg Clarke, the Chairman of The Football League said: "I am delighted to welcome Sky Bet to working with The Football League and its clubs. This agreement takes our long-term partnership with Sky to a new level and provides a genuine boost to clubs ahead of the new season."
Richard Flint, MD of Sky Bet, commented: "This is a ground-breaking partnership for Sky Bet. We know that having a bet on the match can make it even more exciting. In the past fans would go into a betting shop on the way to the ground, but with our industry-leading mobile apps and website they can place their bets quickly and conveniently whether going to the match or watching it on Sky at home.
"Sponsorship of The Football League helps us engage with millions of football fans spanning all 72 league clubs. It was important for us that we are able to demonstrate our commitment to all Football League clubs and fans nationwide. The strength of our technology supported by a trusted brand that is part of the fabric of football means we're ideally placed to add to the match-day experience of fans."
Through Sky Bet, football fans can bet on match results, goal scorers and score predictions and can also access a wide range of in-game betting options. Sky Bet has also created a variety of Football League special bets to celebrate the new partnership and the 125th anniversary of The Football League.
In addition to title sponsorship of the three divisions, Sky will also use its partnership with The Football League to explore opportunities to offer customers exclusive access to competitions and promotional offers, including access to Football League match tickets.
Sky Bet is based in Leeds and employs more than 500 people. All of Sky Bet's services are GamCare accredited and the company is also a signatory to the Remote Gambling Association Code on Social Responsibility.
In a separate agreement, also announced today, The Football League and Sky Sports have signed a brand new three year broadcasting rights agreement. The new agreement, which delivers more live matches for fans, will begin in 2015/16 following the conclusion of the final two seasons of the current three-year agreement.
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