Croud partners with Shrewsbury Town Football Club as stadium sponsors

Croud, the Shrewsbury-founded, now-global digital marketing agency, is the new sponsor for Shrewsbury Town Football Club (STFC) Stadium for at least the next two years.

Croud is one of Shrewsbury’s major employers, with 156 of Croud’s global staff based out of Shrewsbury, many of whom are avid STFC supporters.

The stadium, commonly known as ‘The New Meadow’, will be renamed ‘The Croud Meadow’ as part of the sponsorship deal, keeping the tradition of past names. Croud signage will also feature on the interior and exterior of the stadium.

‘The Croud Meadow’ is one of the newest Football League stadiums in England having opened in 2007, replacing the old home stadium for STFC, The Gay Meadow.

The sponsorship is a childhood dream of Shropshire local Ben Knight, co-founder of Croud, and is part of the business’s commitment to supporting the local Shrewsbury community. Croud are also proud supporters of the STFC Foundation, which aims to create opportunities for people to lead healthy and active lifestyles through inclusive programmes like Football and Education courses, and health and wellbeing sessions.

Many of the management team in Croud’s Shrewsbury office are local to the area, meaning the office has grown organically to be Croud’s operations hub, and it will continue to be a focus for business growth.

Croud has experienced impressive expansion over a recent period, having secured a £30 million minority investment from mid-market private equity house LDC in 2019, acquiring two businesses in 2021 and a third business in 2022. Last year, Croud opened up its fifth office in Dubai, adding to their global footprint in Shrewsbury, London, New York and Los Angeles.

Last month, Croud were included in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 list – the first time the agency has been included in the ‘Big Company’ category for organisations with 250 – 1,999 employees, after being included in the Sunday Times Best Small Companies to Work For for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.

Jon Ditchburn, Executive Operations Director at Croud and Shropshire-local for the past 35 years commented on the news:

“This couldn’t be a prouder moment for us at Croud. As a business, our deepest roots are in Shrewsbury where we have driven our operations over the years to become a digital marketing agency of stature – one that develops local talent and projects the best digital marketers onto a global stage. Our partnership with Shrewsbury Town Football Club not only acts as a significant point of pride for us as a group, but looks to project Shrewsbury as a hub for digital marketing excellence in the UK and beyond.”

Roland Wycherley, Chair at Shrewsbury Town Football Club also added:

“It is our pleasure to have Croud join us as partners and stadium sponsors as we eagerly embark on a journey into the future. In our quest for a company that shares our values and possesses a genuine desire for partnership, we discovered Croud — a locally nurtured, award-winning global business that enjoys well-deserved recognition within the digital marketing industry. We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership that will last for many years to come – and of course welcoming everyone to The Croud Meadow for the new season.”