Image copyright Vauxhall

UK car maker Vauxhall is to end its multi-million pound sponsorship of the home nations football teams after the 2018 World Cup.

Vauxhall has been the lead sponsor of the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland teams since 2011.

But a spokeswoman said Vauxhall wanted to start running separate marketing campaigns for individual models.

The deal for the England team is thought to be worth in the region of £5m to £6m per year.

When Vauxhall signed the deal in 2011 it did not have many new products coming out, but wanted to keep its brand "front of mind", the spokeswoman said.

Now Vauxhall's "business priorities have changed" and it wants to put money into marketing models such as the Crossland X SUV and the Insignia Grand Sport, she added.

However, in a statement, Vauxhall said it had not ruled out other sponsorship deals

"Since 2011, Vauxhall has been very proud to be the lead sponsor for each of the four home nations football associations (FAs), the first time this has ever been undertaken by a major organisation," it said.

Vauxhall had "agreed to explore other opportunities to continue its relationship with the FAs beyond the conclusion of the existing contracts." it added.

'Best interests'

The English football association said "active discussions are under way regarding a lower level partnership" with Vauxhall.

Bookmakers Ladbrokes, supermarket chain Lidl, Mars chocolate and Carlsberg are among current sponsors of the England national team.

The Scottish FA said it would consider all the options open to it as it started the process of seeking a new main sponsor that was in the best interests of Scottish football.

Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive, Jonathan Ford, said: "The partnership between the FAW and Vauxhall has been hugely successful for both parties. We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship.

"We now look forward to enjoying similar success with our future lead sponsor."

The Irish Football Association said: "Over the past six years we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Vauxhall."

It added that it looked forward to "working with new and existing sponsors in the future as we continue to promote, foster and develop football for all in Northern Ireland".