Sheffield United, the English soccer club, has secured a seven-figure extension to its shirt sponsorship with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA). The contract extension comes after a first year described as "mutually beneficial" by the MTA. It marked the first time that the MTA has done a deal with a soccer club, although it has also worked closely with Manchester United club captain Gary Neville.

MTA chief executive Josef Formosa Gauci claimed that the VisitMalta brand was shown to more than 1.7 million people through live broadcasts, a return that more than satisfied the organisation's US$500,000 investment. Gauci believes the exposure was worth more than US$2 million.

The team, chasing promotion back to the Premier League, recently spent a four-day mid-season break on the island. "This trip has re-charged our batteries after a hectic period of games over the last few weeks," said manager Kevin Blackwell on the return to the UK.

Should the team secure promotion, the value of the deal to the MTA would increase further. The team is currently fourth in the Championship, the second tier of English soccer.