Loftus Road Stadium, the home of English Championship football team Queens Park Rangers (QPR), has for the first time in its history taken on the name of a commercial sponsor thanks to a partnership with Malaysian national trade promotion agency MATRADE.
The three-year agreement with the agency will see the arena renamed MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium with immediate effect, through the 2025-26 season. MATRADE operates under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) to develop and promote Malaysia’s export to the world.
QPR CEO Lee Hoos commented on why he was pleased with the agreement.
“The club is always looking at ways to increase our portfolio of partners. This decision to render the naming rights of the stadium is made with the commercial interests of the club at heart, and we look forward to working with MATRADE,” he stated via press release.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, QPR’s stadium, which initially opened in 1904, has been officially renamed as The Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium. The foundation’s three-year contract with the London club expired at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Chairman of MATRADE, Reezal Merican Naina Merican commented on the opportunity to partner with QPR.
“When I initiated the proposal for MATRADE to rebrand itself after 30 years of its establishment, I saw that the new naming rights partnership was an opportunity for MATRADE to elevate our brand visibility on the international scene,” he added via press release.
“By leveraging QPR’s long-standing history in English football, MATRADE will be able to enhance its global recognition as a trusted agency to connect trade between our two countries. We look forward to a successful partnership with QPR.”
QPR also debuted their new cutting-edge training facility in June. The complex, which is located in Heston, part of the London Borough of Hounslow, began housing the club’s first team, Under 23s, and academy teams in the 2023-24 season.
