Rotherham United are incredibly proud to confirm that the West Stand at AESSEAL New York Stadium will proudly carry the name of our long-term club partner and friend, Eric Twigg, until 2026 as part of a poignant new commercial agreement which has been agreed almost a year since his sad passing.
The Twigg family have been constant supporters of not just the club, but also the town, it’s people and the countless charity ventures that they have subtly involved themselves in since Eric Twigg Foods was established back in 1966 and it is our honour to be keeping his memory alive by continuing to have his company name emblazoned across the West Stand at our first team stadium.
This deal will mean that the relationship between the Millers and Eric Twigg Foods & Pukka Pies will have run continuously for no fewer than 46 successful years with Millers fans enjoying a Matchday Pukka Pie - which have become an institution at AESSEAL New York Stadium, Don Valley and Millmoor - throughout the entirety of that time.
By the time the Millers arrived for their first game at AESSEAL New York Stadium in 2012, Eric Twigg Foods & Pukka Pies had long since committed their backing by pledging their support in the infancy of the stadium’s construction. The West Stand has always been known as – and will continue to be – the Eric Twigg Foods Pukka Pies West Stand.
The start of 2022 saw us say an emotional goodbye to our friend – and the founder of the company – Eric, who so sadly passed away in January. We know that it wasn’t just the people who work here at the club and Eric Twigg Foods who were rocked by the sadness of his passing, but rather it was felt throughout the fan base, and indeed, the entirety of the local community.
The infancy of this business relationship was born from a supporter wanting to help out the club that he loved. After many years of working together, that same feeling would be reciprocated by everyone at Rotherham United. Eric passed away a supporter immensely loved by his club and the many people he encountered throughout his association with us.
Eric Twigg Foods – as an organisation – embodies everything that we stand for as a club.
It is built on the foundations of family and operates in a way which is centred around helping people, not just through the countless charity ventures that they subtly involve themselves in, but also the way in which they have established themselves as a pillar of the local community.
Speaking having finalised the details of the new agreement, Commercial Director Steve Coakley admitted that it provoked an emotive response as it marked the first since Eric’s sad passing.
“This deal has been agreed with really mixed emotions for everyone here,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.
“First and foremost, it was met with sadness that it is the first deal we have done without Eric here with us, but also great pride that Matthew will be continuing to ensure that the Twigg family’s legacy lives on here at the football club. In fact it was Matthew who instigated the initial stand sponsorship as he wanted to see the company name on the new stadium as it was two huge things very close to his father's heart and we know how immensely proud Eric was of this.
“I don’t think there was anyone at the club that wasn’t hit hard by the news of Eric’s passing back in January. We often speak about how we are a family here at Rotherham United and it certainly felt like we were mourning the loss of one of our own when Eric left us.
“Anyone who the read the tributes that poured in for Eric will know what type of man he was. Whilst it is Eric’s forename that the West Stand will carry, it is importantly the Twigg surname which continues to remain woven into the fabric of this football club for the next four years at least.
“Whilst we are incredibly proud of what the renewing of the West Stand naming rights will stand for, this isn’t a deal which has been agreed purely out of sentiment. Matt is a highly-successful businessman himself, with 35 years in the family business and he continues to run the company in a way that fits in with Eric's and the Rotherham United ethos."
“We are looking forward to four more enjoyable years working alongside Matt and his team and are very grateful for the opportunity to do so.”