THE home of Prudhoe Town Football Club has had a name change.

It comes after the club scored a sponsorship deal with the town's biggest employer Essity.

The ground has been called Kimberly Park since the mid-80s - named after the paper mill's former owners Kimberly-Clark.

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The ground is now called Essity Park.

"After a couple of changes in ownership, it just made sense for us to reflect the current name by which the company has become recognised as one of Northumberland's largest and best-known employers", explained PTFC club chairman Chris Watkins.

"We've been around for a number of years, but after the appointment of a new management committee, the club has been rejuvenated.

"And thanks to Essity paying us for naming rights, we can progress our plans to make this a real community asset - half football, half social."

Essity Park is home to Prudhoe Youth Club Seniors, Newcastle University, Prudhoe Town Sunday and Prudhoe Town Women's FC.

Prudhoe Plodders also use the track for practice.

Essity site assistant Cath Frost added: "Prudhoe Mill has been involved in the town's football club since the 1980s, and although since then our business has been bought once and changed its name twice, we have continued to be proud of our association with the club and its players.

"It's great to have been part of the team for so long - with a plague inside the clubhouse marking those historic links.

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"Many of our employees have used the facilities over the years, and with the club's new drive to get more social members, I think we're going to be together for many more to come."