MIDDLESBROUGH FC is celebrating what could be one of the most important signings of its season after agreeing a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with local pawnbroker Ramsdens.

The seven-figure contract means that the Championship club has a chairman, manager and sponsor all hailing from its Teesside heartland.

Ramsdens, which has its head office and ten of its 80 branches in the Tees Valley, is the largest family-owned pawnbroker in the UK.

Boro introduced a monthly shirt sponsor scheme earlier this year after struggling to find a permanent partner. The month-to-month deal is thought to have been a financial success for the club, but it was delighted to sign a longterm contract which supports its efforts to secure promotion back to the Premier League.

Ramsdens’ three-year arrangement will start at the end of the season, after it agreed to extend its current monthly arrangement until May. The value of the deal will increase if the club regains top flight status.

Ramsdens’ chairman Stewart Smith explained that, following the appointment of Saltburn-born Tony Mowbray as Boro manager, his firm was keen to extend its links with the club.

He said: “What the club needs more than anything else is to rebuild is stability. It needs an inspirational manager, which it has in Tony, and a long-term sponsor that’s committed to the club, and Ramsdens is certainly that.

“We have faith that the club can get back on track and be successful in the future, hence our willingness to sign up to a long-term deal now.”

In October, Ramsdens became Boro’s third shirt sponsor of the season, following Deepdale Solutions and Wiring Services.

Alongside pawnbroking, Ramsdens offers currency exchange and was one of the first businesses to launch a cash-for-gold website.

It has seen a major expansion this year as the economic downturn continues to bite.

It secured funding to enable it to grow turnover to £50m, create 130 jobs and draw up plans to hit the 100-store milestone by the end of 2012.