Robbie Williams deal smashes Port Vale shirt sales

From stadiums in South America to festival stages across Europe, Robbie Williams says he has always travelled the world as "a Stokie".

Now the singer is bringing some of that global reach back to his boyhood club after a partnership with Port Vale helped generate record-breaking shirt sales and orders from more than 20 countries.

The former Take That star was announced as the club's new charity ambassador and shirt sponsor on Friday, with his RW logo featuring on the front of Vale's home and away kits.

Club officials said the response surpassed expectations, with supporters and Robbie Williams fans snapping up more than 2,000 shirts, which were sold in the first two hours.

Crowds gathered at Vale Park to pick up the new shirt as it went on sale on Saturday morning.

"The response has been brilliant," Port Vale's general manager, Ben Martindale, told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We've had record-breaking sales and a lot more online sales than we've had in the past.

"It's sold in over 20 different countries and been very popular in the markets and demographics that Robbie's in, which is fantastic to see.

"Robbie fans have got hold of it as well as Vale fans, and hopefully we'll make Vale fans of them as well this season."

Williams was also named charity ambassador of the Port Vale Foundation, which delivers projects supporting health, education, inclusion and opportunity for people of all ages across the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

He said the partnership was less about "giving back" and more about recognising the place that shaped him.

"The only real bit of normality that I have in my life is where I come from and the people that are there," he told Port Vale TV.

"They are salt of the earth, they are the clay, they're real people.

"Everywhere I've gone, I've gone as a Stokie. Every room that I walk into, I'm from Staffordshire, whether they like it or not.

"This is important for me that I reach out my hand and keep a bit of it there always."

It comes after being made club president in January 2024, when he referred to himself as "El Presidente".

Amanda Ball, who runs the Robbie Williams Fanfest fan group, said the announcement had resonated with fans around the world.

"We've heard from people as far away as Chile, Argentina, Mexico and all across Europe," she said.

"He takes a bit of Stoke with him wherever he goes, and I think he must be massively proud to be doing this for his local team."

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