Chadwick Lawrence negotiates exclusive naming rights for Huddersfield Town stadium

Building strong local partnerships

Chadwick Lawrence has negotiated the exclusive naming rights for Huddersfield Town AFC’s home ground, now officially called Accu Stadium.

The five-year deal is the club’s biggest-ever sponsorship agreement and runs until at least 2030. It signals the stadium’s first name change in 13 years.

The Chadwick Lawrence Corporate & Commercial team, led by Partner Leanne Franks and Associate Gaia Hinchliffe, negotiated terms with Yorkshire e-commerce engineering firm Accu’s solicitors to secure the naming rights for the ground.

The firm is proud to partner with Huddersfield Town AFC and work as the club’s trusted legal representative on all commercial matters via our commercial legal retainer LINK.

Over the past few months, our legal expertise and commercial know-how have finalised two other major partnerships for the club, alongside the five-year stadium naming right deal.

This includes securing a new three-year front-of-shirt sponsor agreement with global footwear brand HEYDUDE for the men’s and women’s teams, in which the commercial team worked closely with their in-house counsel to negotiate the terms.

In addition, the team secured Utilita Energy, the UK’s forefront Pay As You Go energy supplier, as the back-of-shirt sponsor for a further two years.

These partnerships solidify Huddersfield Town’s future, bringing together Yorkshire-based Accu with the club to drive local investment and support for the community.

Our LINK retainer enabled the firm to offer consistent, high-quality legal advice to the club, in turn supporting the completion of all three deals simultaneously while facing time constraints and handling multiple key stakeholders.

Leanne Franks, Partner at Chadwick Lawrence, said: “We’re incredibly proud to support Huddersfield Town on such a landmark deal. Securing the naming rights for the stadium is not only a significant commercial achievement for the club, but also a powerful statement about its future ambitions.

“Working closely with all parties involved, we were able to deliver three complex agreements simultaneously, demonstrating the strength of our LINK retainer and our commitment to helping the club grow both on and off the pitch.”

Client feedback

Paul Reeves, Chief Revenue Officer at Huddersfield Town AFC, added: “We are proud to partner with Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors and also work with them on a professional basis as our trusted legal representatives on all commercial matters via their commercial legal retainer, LINK.

“Over the past few months, their support has been crucial in finalising some of the largest commercial sponsorship terms that the club has worked on.

“Leanne and Gaia have supported us every step of the way – their legal expertise and commercial know-how helped us to finalise three major partnerships:

1. a 5-year stadium naming rights deal with e-commerce specialists, Accu.co.uk
2. a new 3-year front-of-shirt sponsor with global footwear brand HEYDUDE (men’s & women’s teams)
3. Utilita Energy extending their support as our back-of-shirt sponsor for a further 2 years

“These are huge developments for the Club, and Chadwick Lawrence played a vital role in working with us to get them contracted and finalise commercial terms. Their ability to negotiate firmly, move quickly, and think strategically has been excellent and they have been a pleasure to work alongside. They’re not just legal advisors; they’re part of the team!”