Essity is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of toilet tissue and hand towels, and paper produced at its mill in Oakenholt goes into leading brands such as Velvet, Cushelle, Plenty and Tork. The company has been the shirt sponsor of Flint for several years.

“I am delighted to say that this new sponsorship deal with Essity is far and away the largest the club has ever had,” declared club chairman Darryl Williams.

“An integral part of the new deal is that our stadium will be renamed the Essity Stadium, to further reflect our ongoing and close relationship with a company that is an important pillar of the community within Flint.”

Listed on the Swedish stock exchange, Essity has six mills in the UK – and around 47,000 employees operating across 150 countries. Its Oakenholt mill has 80 staff, and since being acquired by the company – then known as SCA – in 2001 has had millions of pounds of investment in new buildings and production equipment.

“Although we have supported the club for some time, becoming title sponsor of Flint Town United FC is a source of immense pride for me and all of my colleagues – football fans or not,” added mill manager John Kirwin.

“The club was founded back in 1886, within months of the first paper mill starting production on our Chester Road site. It’s nice to think that we have a shared history – with generations of mill workers supporting the club right through to the present day.

“In those early days, as Flint FC, the team played at Strand Park on the banks of the Dee Estuary. It got off to a flying start by reaching the first Welsh Amateur Cup Final in 1890-91, before losing to Wrexham Victoria 4-1.

“With financial support from Essity, it would be great to see the lads regain some of that former glory – particularly given the ambitious plans to redevelop the ground and surrounding area.”

Darryl Williams went on to say: “These are very exciting times for Flint Town United, and with Essity's continued support I am sure we will soon achieve our objective of once again being a main player in Welsh domestic football. Our immediate objective is a return to the top division, the recently renamed Cymru Premier League, and we shall be striving to achieve that goal in the forthcoming season.

“Last season we finished runners-up in the league, and with the excellent pool of players that first team manager Niall McGuinness and his staff have assembled – retaining most of our previous squad and making some important additions to further strengthen it – we hope to go one better this time around. And I hope to see as many people as possible down at the Essity Stadium cheering us on.”

Pictured celebrating the announcement of the new deal are (L to R) FTUFC player Dylan Allshorn, Essity Oakenholt Mill Manager John Kirwan, FTUFC Chairman Darryl Williams and FTUFC player Nathan Brown