Cambridge United unveil five-year sponsorship deal that will see their ground known as The Cledara Abbey Stadium

Cambridge United have announced a five-year sponsorship agreement that will see their home ground known as The Cledara Abbey Stadium.

With offices in London, Denver and Barcelona, Cledara is a SaaS (software as a service) subscription management platform that provides technical support to more than 1,000 businesses across the globe.

And this landmark deal between the two parties will play a part in the next stage of the football club’s plans to redevelop their Newmarket Road-based stadium.

United’s chief executive officer (CEO) Alex Tunbridge said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with Cledara and to announce the renaming of the Abbey Stadium as The Cledara Abbey Stadium.

“We are embarking on an exciting journey to develop the stadium and welcoming organisations such as Cledara is an important part of that.

“We are very grateful to have their support as we start out on the redevelopment project and I would like to thank them for ensuring that the Abbey Stadium remains a part of the stadium's new name.

“We are ambitious for the club. We want to modernise, progress and take advantage of new potential opportunities as the professional football club based in the world leading city of Cambridge, home to the rules of the game.

“At the same time, we want to do this with appropriate acknowledgement of the DNA of our club. Keeping ‘The Abbey’ as a central part of the new name was important both for us and Cledara.”

Cristina Vila Vives, Cledara’s founder and CEO, added: “We are delighted to be able to help Cambridge United with its ambitions to grow the fanbase, engage younger fans, encourage families, build the visibility of the women's team and support the Cambridge community. We are fully supportive of all these plans.

“We are a people business, as is Cambridge United. The club is a central part of the community and it’s great to be a part of that. And Cambridge itself is a leading tech hub and a hotbed for start-ups.

“This is a market which Cledara serves and we look forward to expanding our network throughout the city and surrounding areas.

“This agreement, which lasts for five years, reflects that we're building for the future. Our customers trust us with their core software infrastructure and planning for the long term is important.

“There also is a personal connection for me, which means a lot, as I studied for my masters in Cambridge at the Anglia Ruskin University. It’s great to have a new connection both with the city and wider community.”

The U’s will first run out at the newly-sponsored Abbey on January 13 when Fleetwood Town will be their visitors.