Blackburn Rovers have announced a 'record deal' with Watson Ramsbottom as their new front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2024/25 Championship season.

It was announced last week that Rovers' deal with Totally Wicked would come to an end this summer after two and a half years.

Rovers have kept things local once again, with Watson Ramsbottom boasting offices across the East Lancashire area, with branches in with branches in Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Great Harwood, Chorley and Clitheroe.

The local solicitor firm, led by Managing Director & lifelong Rovers fan, Elton Ashworth, have been sponsoring Rovers for the last five years, as front-of-shirt sponsor for the Women's team. They were also the back-of-shirt sponsor for the men's team last term.

That relationship has now gone one step further with Rovers announcing Watson Ramsbottom as their primary sponsor for the new campaign. The club say that a 'record deal' has been agreed which 'exceeds all other front of shirt partnership deals since 2012'.

CEO Steve Waggott said: “We’re delighted Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors have agreed to be our front of shirt partner for the 2024-25 season.

"Watson Ramsbottom are tremendous supporters of the club, and have been so for a number of years, after first becoming our back of shirt sponsor in 2018.

“We’re really pleased to once again be partnering with an organisation embedded within our community as we prepare to celebrate our 30-year anniversary of winning the Premier League.

“It’s extremely important we continue to work closely and have strong relationships with local businesses and this new agreement further signifies our commitment as a club to this.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Elton Ashworth and his team for their continued commitment and support for Blackburn Rovers, and we’re looking to working closely with them for a sixth consecutive season.”

Boyhood Rovers fan Ashworth explained why this was such an important moment, not just for the firm, but for him personally, having grown up on the terraces supporting the team with his granddad.

“The growth of Watson Ramsbottom over the last seven or eight years has been fantastic and it’s obviously put us in the position where we’re able to do something like this for the community and the club, which has been so important for not just me but for many, many of our staff across our offices,” he explained.

“We’re now employing 240 people around the East Lancashire area and a massive chunk of them are Rovers fans, so there’s massive excitement for all of us.

“It’s a local practice and out of that number of employees, 200 of them are probably from the Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington and Clitheroe area.

“It’s a massive step because it coincides with two big parts of my life and this is the year to do it 30 years on from that fantastic season. We’re hugely proud that Watson Ramsbottom is now in a position to do something on this scale.

“For me and the brand building of the business, it’s great. You’re not just getting the local audience with everyone wearing the shirts, but you’re getting exposure all over the country when Rovers play away from home in different regions.

“I’ve been a Rovers fan all my life, since my grandad started taking me when I was about seven,” he added, reflecting on his long history as a supporter of the club which dates back to going to Ewood for the first time in 1979 with grandfather, Alan.

“I worked at Rovers in the catering department for a few years in the function suites, looking after some of the directors, a couple of whom are still around now.

“I’ve gone from being one of the waiters in there to the front of shirt partner, so it’s been quite a journey.

“It’s been a big part of my life and it’s part of my children’s lives because they’ve not really had any choice! They go to all the games, they’re all as indoctrinated as I am because they’ve not had a choice!

“My grandad would be so proud because he loved every minute of being at Ewood and he’d be over the moon to see the business on the front of the shirt.”