New shirts for QPR following sponsorship deal

Gulf Air is to be the new official shirt sponsor of Queens Park Rangers, the Loftus Road club has announced.

The Bahrain-based carrier's branding will feature on all of QPR’s kit next season, as part of a three-year deal.

The agreement, for an undisclosed sum, will also see the introduction of a Gulf Air supporter loyalty scheme, the possibility of a football community scouting programme in the Middle East and various community-based initiatives in Bahrain and London.

"This is a very exciting deal for Gulf Air. Like QPR, Gulf Air is building a phenomenal success story and with it, a powerful global brand with a class-leading product," the CEO of Gulf Air, Bjorn Naf, told reporters at a press conference

Flavio Briatore, chairman of QPR Holdings Limited, said: "I am extremely excited and privileged to be announcing a partnership with Gulf Air."

The new shirt has the traditional blue and white hoops and the sleeves are blue with one white stripe running down the centre. The Club’s new badge is on the left-hand side of the shirt, while the right-hand side and both sleeves bear the red logo of Lotto - the shirt makers. The middle of the shirt features the Gulf Air name and logo.

"The feedback that I have got from supporters has been very positive. People seem excited," QPR Holdings’ vice-chairman Amit Bhatia told the BBC about the new deal.

Despite rumours to the contrary, Bhatia insisted the Club would not be leaving its Loftus Road site in the near future.

"Today there is no desire to move and that's justified by the fact that we've just spent an enormous amount of money on refurbishing the stadium. If a move was imminent we wouldn't be spending the money here," he said.

As well as the Gulf Air deal, the W12 Club already has a five-year multi-million pound deal with the Italian sportswear company, Lotto Sport Italia, which is QPR’s official kit supplier.

3 July 2008