West Ham sign up principal sponsor

By Giles Broadbent on February 6, 2013 2:06 PM |

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West Ham United have unveiled global forex broker Alpari as their principal sponsor. The company's logo will appear on the front of the players' shirts from the start of next season.

Sam Allardyce and Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole competed against each other in a currency trading contest that brought the worlds of football and online trading together to mark the collaboration.

This three-year, multi-million-pound deal will see "Alpari FX Trading" feature on West Ham United's team kit and apparel and adds to the existing naming rights of the Alpari Stand and branding at the Boleyn Ground.

The club's vice-chairman Karren Brady said: "We are excited to enter into this new partnership with Alpari. This landmark deal, along with a host of other significant strides forward our business has made recently, is yet further evidence of the growth we have witnessed and I can only see things getting better.

At this week's contest, captain Kevin Nolan showed his decisive skills off the pitch and won the contest with a balance of £4,457 in virtual money.

Nolan said: "I've never traded currencies before and I found it easy to understand how the trading platform works and how you place trades. Had I traded with my money, I would have done a bit more market research and I wouldn't have taken such big stakes. However, even with virtual money you feel your pulse racing and it was good fun."

As a prize, Alpari will donate £5,000 in Kevin's name to West Ham United's Academy, where the money will help young talents achieve more in football.