Sennheiser UK is delighted to announce that they have signed a deal with Port Vale Football Club as their main shirt sponsor for next season.

A record-breaking deal for the club has been signed with Sennheiser, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of audio technology including microphones and headphones.

It is the first major football sponsorship in the UK for Sennheiser who microphones are used by many well-known artists including Faithless, Kylie Minogue, Jamiroquai, George Michael and Scissor Sisters.

The company is also involved in supporting scholarships at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts(LIPA0, the school founded by Sir Paul McCartney, and the National Film & Television School (NFTS) in Beaconsfield.

Vale initially approached Sennheiser through a mutual business contact and executives at the company were immediately impressed by the club’s community ethos.

John Steven, Director of Marketing for Wycombe-based Sennheiser UK, said: "We were looking to go into football sponsorship and the whole community set up at Port Vale seemed right for us. We were impressed by how the club engage with the local community and that is a philosophy we like to be associated with."

Mr Steven added: "We want to be a part of Vale’s community initiative and a music school is an ideal way of encouraging young people to channel their energies into something positive and creative. We also want to help the club as much as possible during the sponsorship period."

The six-figure financial deal includes a promotion bonus for Vale and Sennheiser has already negotiated an option to extend the sponsorship if Vale were to reach the Championship.

Vale Chairman Bill Bratt said: "We are delighted that a major global name will be on our shirts next season – it will help to raise the club’s profile and status.

"As well as the financial support we are particularly pleased that Sennheiser is becoming involved with our community programme. The music school is a fantastic idea and would be another string to North Staffordshire’s bow.