UKFast and Sale Sharks scrum down for sponsorship rematch

Hosting services firm reignites sponsorship of Premiership club after five-year hiatus

UKFast is set to sponsor Sale Sharks in a seven-figure deal, returning to the club after a six-year break.

The hosting services outfit sponsored the Rugby Union club from 2000 to 2010 when UKFast ended the deal after several senior players left the team.

UKFast will be the shirt sponsor for the club again after signing a deal for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.

Manchester-based UKFast announced a turnover for 2015 of £34.3m, and is aiming to reach a £40m turnover in 2016.

When UKFast first sponsored the club it could not afford to pay for the sponsorship so it built technology for the club to help attract people to the stadium, according to UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones.

"It was a great relationship. I am delighted to join the Sharks once again. This partnership is more than a logo on a shirt; UKFast has been associated with Sale Sharks for more than a decade. It's a club that is incredibly close to my heart, and I can't wait to contribute to its success," said Jones.

Director of rugby at Sale Sharks, Steve Diamond, said: "UKFast and Lawrence Jones made a huge impression on the business in the mid-2000s when Sale were at their most successful. We can now make this one of the biggest rugby franchises in the country. Partnering with UKFast gives us the ability to get out there digitally."