A Bristol-based finance software firm has signed a new sponsorship deal with some of the city’s top professional sports teams.
Xledger has agreed a three-year extension to its partnership with Bristol Sport, the organisation which oversees the commercial and operational interests of rugby side Bristol Bears and British Basketball League franchise Bristol Flyers.
The new deal will see Xledger’s cloud-based accounting tech used across the group’s accounting systems. Its branding will also appear on the back of shirts worn by the Bears men’s, women’s and academy sides, as well as the Flyers.
Bristol Sport first unveiled Xledger as principal sponsor of Bears Academy in 2019. This was followed by a two-year front-of-jersey deal in 2020 for Bristol Flyers, along with a long-term sponsorship of the South Stand at Ashton Gate stadium, the homes of the Bears.
Xledger, which supplies more than 10,000 organisations in 60 countries, was also Bristol Bears Women’s principal partner last year.
Mark Kelly, managing director of Bristol Sport, said: “We’d been looking at a way of underpinning and uniting our accounting processes across all our teams, Ashton Gate and Bristol Sport and kept coming back to the product that one of our existing partners already had. It was the smart and sensible choice to bring it all together.
“To see the Xledger logo cement its place in one united position (back of shirt) across four of our sporting teams and for us to embark on this accounting partnership is testimony to the strength and dynamism of our relationship.”
Xledger chief executive Mark Pullen added: “Our relationship with Bristol Sport is representative of two organisations which are both growing and becoming increasingly successful for the right reasons.
“Empowering our joint ambitions is the driving force behind this partnership, this is something we’ve been doing through the Bristol Sport Bears Academy for some time, and now it’s exciting to grow this ambition further.”
Bristol Sport is owned by billionaire Stephen Lansdown - the co-founder of Bristol financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown - and also looks after the business operations of Championship football side Bristol City and Bristol City Women’s FC.
In addition to its base in the Tower Wharf office building on Cheese Lane, Xledger also has offices in Norway, Sweden and the US.
In February, another Bristol-based tech firm - e-commerce fulfilment company Huboo - was unveiled as the principal partner of Bristol Sport's five professional teams for the 2022-23 season.
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