By Chris O'Brien
June 27 2004

The Welsh Premier League has secured its third sponsor in its 12-year history, with another car company agreeing a deal initially only for the 2005/2006 season. Vauxhall Masterfit Welsh Retailers are the new sponsors, leaving the full league name even more of a mouthful than last season!

The Welsh Premier has secured its third sponsor since the formation of the league in 1992. Vauxhall Masterfit Welsh Retailers take over the sponsorship for the forthcoming campaign in a deal rumoured to be worth something in the region of £55,000.

Vauxhall Masterfit Retailers Welsh Premier League is the new sponsored name of the competition, which is even harder to remember than last season's JT Hughes Mitsubishi Welsh Premier League. Whatever happened to the good old Konica League of Wales, eh?

In addition to the financial boost, the new sponsorship deal will give all involved with the Welsh Football Association and the national league easy access to a range of leased cars from Vauxhall dealers across the Principality. The deal is hardly the lucrative sponsorship deal that other major leagues across Great Britain enjoy, and is a long way from what we want to see, but will provide further a further monetary gain for the league in addition to the car lease scheme.

Vauxhall will sponsor the league for just next season initially, but will be given first refusal of renewing their deal for the 2005/2006 campaign and possibly future seasons. Clubs across the league seem pleased with the deal, and it is hoped it will give the Welsh Premier more exposure as a whole. The deal also sees the brand gain sponsorship of manager and player of the month awards for the coming season.

"I am absolutely delighted the League has been able to attract sponsorship from such a prestigious brand as Vauxhall Masterfit,", announced Welsh Premier secretary John Deakin.

"This will enable the League to give all clubs greater support than has previously been the case and I am sure that many club members and league staff will gain significantly from the vehicle lease scheme."