Newcastle to earn £10m in shirt deal

Championship club ties up new agreement to run until end of 2013-14 campaign

(PA)

Newcastle United have signed a new four-year sponsorship deal with Northern Rock plc which could earn the club £10million. The bank will become the club's main sponsor at the start of next season under an agreement which will run until the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

It will succeed Northern Rock's existing deal, which expires at the end of this season.

Newcastle's managing director Derek Llambias said: "We are naturally absolutely delighted to have signed a new deal with Northern Rock plc and to have their logo adorn one of the most famous and iconic jerseys in world football from the start of the 2010-11 season.

"This alliance underpins the desire of two of the region's most well-known names to continue to work together over the next four years. Sponsorship of Newcastle United is a proven commercial investment that not only generates significant media value for Northern Rock plc, but also enables the bank to connect to customers at a local and national level.

"Newcastle United's aim is to return to the Premier League next season and we believe that collaboration will help both companies achieve our respective goals in the local, national and international market place."

The nationalised bank said it believed the sponsorship contract fitted in with its responsibilities under Government ownership.

Northern Rock's chief executive Gary Hoffman said: "We remain mindful of our responsibilities under Government ownership and only consider those advertising and promotion channels that deliver a high return on investment and good strategic fit.

"We believe that the sponsorship deal with Newcastle United provides both of these."

Meamwhile, Notts County's executive chairman Peter Trembling is confident of securing investment in the League Two club this week. Trembling and director of football Sven-Goran Eriksson met with a potential investor in Germany on Friday.

Trembling told the Nottingham Post: "I don't want to say too much until it is over the line because of what has happened over the last six months. The promises I make will be because the deal is done and dusted, but we are pretty close and I am confident of getting something signed and sealed this week.

"There are a number of interested parties looking at the football club at the moment and we met one of those on Friday. There are two or three others who are very seriously interested."

County are in need of a cash injection after being hit with a second winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs for unpaid tax bills, and the club have been struggling financially since Trembling performed a management buy-out from the Swiss-based Middle East consortium Munto Finance last month.

Trembling insists the size of investment the club is seeking is not simply to pay off its creditors but to also secure its long-term prosperity.

"We would not have embarked on this process if it was just about a short-term fix. This is about getting a deal that is right for the long-term future of the football club," he said.

The Magpies are also still searching for a new manager following Hans Backe's departure a month ago.