Mustard.uk.com has become the latest addition to Stoke City's promotion push after agreeing a ground-breaking deal.

The high-growth business start-up service for the West Midlands is putting its faith in one of its former entrepreneurs by agreeing to become the exclusive Sockatyes sponsor for the Potters' away socks.

The agreement will look to raise the entrepreneurial culture in North Staffordshire and give local companies the chance to take advantage of the Britannia Stadium's meeting and conference facilities.

Kul Sanghera, project director for Mustard.uk.com, said: "North Staffordshire currently lags behind the rest of the county when it comes to start-up and survival rates and this is something we want to put right.

"Our partnership with Stoke City – including the media exposure this generates – will help us raise the entrepreneurial agenda and the benefits of being your own boss.

"It also gives us the chance to showcase the support and expertise we can offer to the next generation of business leaders."

Mustard.uk.com has been working with Sockatyes founder Russell Pointon for nearly five years and felt that the time was right to promote its services through one of its fledgling companies.

The product holds players' socks and shin-pads in place without restricting circulation.

Mr Sanghera went on: "He has developed a clinically proven product that not only improves player performance, but actually acts as an external advertising opportunity for the clubs.

"Previously, it was only the shirt that could carry any form of promotion, but thanks to the new regulations, a whole new revenue stream has been created for football teams throughout the world."

The new agreement was unveiled by centre-backs Clint Hill and Lewis Buxton and is the latest in a long line of recent successes for Mr Pointon.

After four years of development work, including trials with the Northern Ireland national team, England U21s and a number of major rugby events, the Stoke-on-Trent entrepreneur is in position to ramp up production and build on a number of initial successes.

The former professional football player said: "We had made a lot of inroads, but the big break came when Lucky8Bet.com agreed a six figure deal with the football conference to sponsor all 68 clubs.

"This proved that there was a market out there for the product and, within a matter of days, we were getting phone calls from Major League Soccer in America, the Primera Liga in Spain and a number of clubs in the Premiership.

"I am delighted that Mustard.uk.com is able to take advantage of this new form of advertising and know it will help raise the profile of its services in North Staffordshire."

Managed by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and funded by Advantage West Midlands and ERDF, Mustard.uk.com has assisted over 3,000 entrepreneurs since it was launched in 2000.

It offers a mix of public and private sector support. potters