Member Article

Partners in arms for Boro’s new season

Middlesbrough F.C. have confirmed one of the longest-running shirt sponsorships in British football which will strengthen the club’s outreach work across Teesside.

The Kindred Group have adorned the Boro home and away shirts for nearly a decade at the end of this new two-year deal and this season underneath the logo of gambling operator Unibet, the front-of-shirts also feature “Zero% Mission”, which is Kindred’s Responsible Gambling message.

The partnership will continue to fund MFC Foundation’s delivery of Team Talk – a men’s mental health initiative which uses the club, players, manager and staff as a mechanism to engage with men about their mental well-being. MFC Foundation works to raise aspirations and improve the life chances of young people and adults across Teesside, supported and funded, in part, by the club’s commercial partners, such as Kindred.

As well as donating a percentage of hospitality and merchandising rights to supporters via competitions and giveaways, Kindred have given front-of-shirt sponsorship space to MFC throughout the season to promote the club’s charitable initiatives.

The club have also welcomed two more local companies as Premium Partners, Marske Fabrication and Engineering Ltd and Rio Brazilian Steakhouse, who are also sponsoring Middlesbrough Women F.C.’s training kit under their agreement.

When the club’s most popular player, Brazilian Juninho was playing for Boro nearly 30 years ago, he never could have imagined visiting a restaurant quite like Rio Brazilian Steakhouse in Albert Road, Middlesbrough, with specially trained Gaucho chefs serving and carving hand-cut meats at the table continuously, and or Tomahawk in Yarm, Potto, Saltburn and at Acklam Hall for that matter.

Owner Howard Eggleston describes Rio Brazilian Steakhouse as a “culinary journey into the Tijuca Urban Forest that surrounds Rio de Janeiro, with planted walls and flowered ceilings towering high above a traditional Brazilian Churrasco dining experience”.

He said: "We are delighted to partner with both Middlesbrough men and women for the 2024/2025 season.

“Having several restaurants in the Teesside region played a big part in the decision and we hope Boro supporters will visit these going forward. We hope for a successful season on and off the pitch for both teams."

Marske Fabrication and Engineering Ltd meanwhile found a unique use for their services as an unexpected benefit of the new Premier Partnership.

The family-run business, which has been operating in design, manufacturing and installation services since 1992, provided the steel for Middlesbrough’s first team kit photo shoot - which is on display in the club shop at the Riverside Stadium.

The club’s head of commerical, Liam McGuinness, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with Rio Brazilian Steakhouse and look forward to working closely with them in the future as part of the men’s and women’s teams and we are pleased to be partnering with Marske Fabrication and look forward to working closely with our new partner for the benefit of both parties.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Bdaily Publishing .