E-cigarette manufacturer Totally Wicked has agreed a deal to take on naming rights to Langtree Park, the home stadium of English Super League rugby league club St Helens.
The ground will be known as the Totally Wicked Stadium until the end of the 2021 season after the two parties agreed a five-year deal.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but St Helens said the value of the sponsorship contract is the largest in the history of the club.
Totally Wicked already had an existing relationship with St Helens, having sponsored the stadium’s North Stand since 2013. Totally Wicked has also had a presence on the team’s playing shirts since 2014 and its branding will continue to be seen on both the home and away jerseys as part of the new agreement.
The stadium will officially adopt its new moniker at the end of the year, when St Helens’ existing agreement expires with the Langtree Group, which developed the facility.
‘Vaping’ is permitted at Langtree Park for fans wishing to use e-cigarettes.
“For the club, this new increased sponsorship deal was a natural development of an already established relationship that has been of tremendous benefit to the club, not just financially, but also in supporting our wider health objectives,” St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus said. “It also represents the most financially valuable long-term sponsorship in the club's history.
"The club plays an active role not only in sport, but also in health and education, and over the last four years of working with Totally Wicked, we have been able to create a supportive and vape-friendly atmosphere at the club. We believe this new deal will further this pioneering work by not only helping to raise awareness yet further of the damage smoking tobacco can do (but) also in deterring people from taking on the habit in the first place."
St Helens has also announced partnerships with the Fazenda restaurant chain and grooming products manufacturer King of Shaves. Both deals will cover the 2017 season.