What is Cirata? Sheffield Wednesday's new shirt sponsors revealed

Sheffield Wednesday have revealed a new shirt sponsor - in February - in a move the club admit 'is not ideal'.

The logo of technology company Cirata will now adorn the shirts, replacing 'Ey Up' which had previously been on the kits. The newly sponsored shirts get a run out for the first time in Friday night's televised match against Birmingham City at Hillsborough.

In essense there doesn't appear to be much of a change, apart from the logo itself. Ey Up had links with former sponsor WANdisco and according to the Wednesday website, when announcing the change: "Cirata is the new name and brand identity for WANdisco and represents a fresh canvas for growth and innovation on the digital landscape."

Wandisco, as a company, has been going through a difficult period, with reports in the summer stating that they were unaware that money had been put into Wednesday. A report in The Times said that WANdisco’s board was “not told” that the data software business had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars so that a company co-owned by its founder and then chief executive, Dave Richards, "could sponsor his favourite football team."

Richards reportedly resigned from WANdisco last year, after the 'Ey Up' shirt sponsorship with Wednesday had been agreed but before it had been officially announced.

WANdisco were founded by Richards and Dr. Yeturu Aahlad in 2005, and were the front-of-shirt sponsor on the Owls’ 2013/14 shirt.

An article on This is Money, in October when the name change was announced, quoted CEO Stephen Kelly as saying the rebranding was 'not just a name change' but "a new start for the company, and will positively impact every aspect of our business. We are excited to have this opportunity for Cirata to become a global market leader."

The rebrand came following a fraud investigation last year, which subsequently led to the firing of a reported 30% of its staff.

Cirata's website has a banner along the top stating 'WANdisco is now Cirata'. The site says the firm, "specializes in the integration of high-value datasets into leading cloud platforms enabling game-changing AI and analytics."

In a statement on the club's website, Wednesday’s General Manager Alastair Wilson said: “We would like to thank Cirata for their support in becoming our official Principal Sponsor for the rest of this season, thus replacing the previous sponsor. We are pleased to announce this sponsorship following the rebrand to Cirata, which was obviously not anticipated when the initial deal was agreed. 

"With this revised sponsorship, the Owls can help raise awareness for this fantastic global company who have deep roots in the Steel City. Applying the new logo over that of the previous sponsor is far from ideal but unfortunately outside the club’s control. Moving forward, it is important for the Cirata brand to be showcased not only through media and television exposure aligned to the Championship but also around the city of Sheffield.”

In the same statement, Helen Carroll, VP Marketing, Cirata said: “This change aligns a global technology leader, co-headquartered in Sheffield, and San Ramon, California, USA with a proud local club steeped in history and achievement. The refresh brings an opportunity to amplify Cirata’s brand visibility, not just locally among a deeply committed and passionate fanbase, but also on a global stage thanks to the international reach and following of football worldwide.“

The club went on to state that fans will be able to have the new logo printed on their shirts from the club shop, free of charge, however supporters have been warned that the outline of the old logo may still be visable.