Rovers agree charity shirt sponsorship

Rovers have finally put to bed the issue of a shirt sponsor which has been sticking out like a sore thumb all summer.

Was it worth the wait? Well, yes actually.

Rovers have agreed a deal with local charity The Princes Trust which has seen Rovers donate the branding space on the front of the shirts to the organisation and in the process ignore calls to sell the space to a commercial business.

The Princes Trust helps disadvantaged kids in the local area get as good a start in life as possible through the promotion of schooling, education and training with the deal aimed at raising the profile of the charity with a season long shirt agreement.

Simon Williams told the Official Rovers Website - 'The club has enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with The Prince's Trust since 2005 and this agreement takes that relationship onto another level.

The exposure The Prince's Trust will obtain as our shirt partner will greatly increase the level of awareness for the charity and hopefully encourage fundraising for the fantastic work they do to with young people.'

Paul Brown, who works for the Princes Trust chipped in - 'The Prince's Trust is really pleased to have been selected as Blackburn Rovers Charity of the Year in a move which will build on our considerable experience of working with young people through football. We see this as a brilliant opportunity to reach out, engage and motivate the most disadvantaged young people in the community and help us change even more young lives.'

Even Balaji Rao, MD of Venky's India Ltd, owners of Blackburn Rovers FC, had his say on this special deal - 'We are absolutely delighted to be able to support The Prince's Trust in such a visible way, particularly at this challenging time for young people in terms of unemployment and limited opportunities. Helping young people is very much at the forefront of our community work in India and this partnership is a perfect way for us to support charities and worthy causes through football over here.'

Before the cynics jump (you know who you are and yes you will), Rovers actually rejected at least two commercial sponsorship proposals ahead of accepting this offer.

Say what you like but this deserves one massive round of applause in my eyes.

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