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Cardiff Blues have secured a lucrative naming rights deal for the Arms Park with BT Sport.

It will see the famous old ground re-branded as the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park from next season.

And in a separate development, BT are also being lined up as shirt sponsors for the Welsh regional sides.

That would be a further significant financial boost for them on top of the increase in funding which is coming their way from the impending European Cup peace deal.

The re-naming of the Arms Park will be a ground-breaking move which will be a first for Welsh rugby.

Blues officials have been working hard behind the scenes to seal the deal for a couple of months and it’s understood it has now been completed.

It’s believed the Blues were insistent on retaining the Arms Park in the title and that BT were more than happy to go along with that, recognising the iconic nature of the name worldwide. A three-year deal, with an option to extend for a further two beyond that, has been agreed.

It follows in the wake of a long list of stadium sponsorship packages in various sports with the Aviva Stadium, the Allianz Park and the AJ Bell Stadium – the homes of Ireland, Saracens and Sale Sharks respectively – gracing the world of rugby.

And in football, the list is an extensive one, with the likes of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, Bolton’s Reebok Stadium and Leicester’s King Power Stadium springing to mind.

In Wales, you have the Cigg-e Stadium (Merthyr FC), the Glyndwr University Racecourse Stadium (Wrexham FC), the Book People Stadium (Bangor City FC) and of course Swansea’s Liberty Stadium, not forgetting the Swalec Stadium, the home of Glamorgan cricket.

Meanwhile, BT Sport also look set to have their name emblazoned on the jerseys of Welsh regions from next season.

The broadcasters are already shirt sponsors for both Scottish pro-teams, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and now they are in the frame to follow suit in Wales.

Full details of the link-up are yet to emerge, but one possibility would be the Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons having BT Sport as shirt sponsors, with the Blues having them as ground sponsors.

Either way, the regions are in line for another sizeable financial lift to add to their increased European cup revenue.

BT Sport have emerged as increasingly prominent players in rugby over the past year.

They have taken over broadcasting rights for the Aviva Premiership this season and are also set to share coverage of European cup rugby with rivals Sky Sports.

That compromise joint TV deal is crucial to the Euro peace package which is set to be announced in the next week.

As part of the settlement, which will see the Heineken Cup replaced by a new 20-team Rugby Champions Cup, the Welsh regions are set to see their Euro revenue rise from just over £4m to just under £7m.

A shirt deal with BT Sport would supplement that increase still further and put the regions on a much more secure financial footing.

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