The Bristol Street Motors Trophy will be renamed the Vertu Trophy with immediate effect.
The competition rebranding will be in place ahead of tomorrow’s Round of 32 Draw live on Sky Sports and the next round of fixtures taking place from Tuesday 10 December.
Ian Evatt’s men – winners of the competition in 2023 – are guaranteed a home tie after topping Group D in qualification.
The Whites will be in Draw A of the Northern Section, which means they will face one of Crewe Alexandra (13), Huddersfield Town (14), Lincoln City (15) or Bradford City (16) at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, with the draw scheduled to take place on Sky Sports News shortly after 6pm on Friday 22nd November.
Vertu Motors – the Group that currently operates under the trading names of three automotive retail brands, which include Bristol Street Motors – announced it will consolidate those brands into one, named Vertu, last month.
The League agreed a three-year deal as Title Sponsor of the EFL Trophy through to the end of the 2025/26 season with the award-winning national automotive group in November last year, with Bristol Street Motors taking up the role. Vertu will remain the Official Car Dealer of the EFL for the term.
The Vertu Trophy has seen some of its best attendances in its current format at this stage of the competition, with the likes of Wrexham, Birmingham City and Rotherham United among the Clubs who have booked their passage to the Round of 32.
As the EFL celebrates the League’s Week of Action this week, Vertu are proud to have continued their support of EFL Clubs and their local communities with a ticket initiative for community programme participants and staff this season. Participants and staff have received tickets to all Trophy matches this season, and Vertu will continue to recognise local community heroes from the knockout rounds and beyond.
EFL Chief Commercial Officer, Ben Wright said: “Vertu have contributed significantly to the ongoing success of the competition and have made a lasting impact in communities by supporting accessible football with ticket initiatives.
“Trophy attendances contributed strongly to the EFL’s status as the highest attended league body in Europe last season, and with every Vertu Trophy match live on Sky Sports this season, the exposure for the competition will continue on an upward trajectory.”
Chief Executive Officer at Vertu, Robert Forrester said: “Our partnership with the EFL has been a huge success over the past twelve months, allowing us to engage with community groups across the country and including one of the most dramatic finals in competition history at Wembley Stadium back in April.
“As our business evolves to operate under one brand, we look forward to continuing to work alongside the EFL to drive the Vertu Trophy forwards, and are interested to see what fixtures emerge from Friday’s draw for the Round of 32.”