Bury St Edmunds car dealership Drive Vauxhall has agreed a three-year deal to sponsor the Suffolk FA’s Western Area Youth Soccer (WAYS) league.

WAYS became the first league to be run by the county association when it was launched in October 2013, as an environment for young players to have fun, learn and develop, and its membership has since grown from six teams to 29.

Drive Vauxhall initially signed a one-year sponsorship deal but has now extended its support until the end of the 2017-18 season with an increased four-figure sum. It has also been involved with the Bury St Edmunds Schools’ partnership programme for the past year.

Retail operator Sarah Ferrari said: “We value the importance of being involved in the local community and Drive Vauxhall has been a part of that for the last 40 years.

“We sponsor some of the teams who play in the league, and we have built a good relationship with Nathan French and Suffolk FA over the last couple of years.

“We are pleased to extend our support of Suffolk FA over the next three years and look forward to further developing our relationship.”

Suffolk FA football development manager Nathan French, who is also chairman of the WAYS league, said: “I’m delighted that Drive Vauxhall will be sponsoring WAYS for the next three seasons. Sarah has been brilliant at supporting us since we formed last season and I’m really pleased we will continue that partnership over the coming seasons.

“We are passionate about providing people in WAYS with the best football experience possible. Drive Vauxhall have brought in to WAYS and our philosophy and have shown their commitment by sponsoring the league for another three years.”

Suffolk FA football development officer Michael Cornall added: “To continue to develop our partnership with Drive Vauxhall is absolutely fantastic. The Suffolk FA WAYS League has continued to grow from strength-to-strength in the last 18 months and the support from Sarah and her team has played a significant role in the league’s development.

“With Drive Vauxhall we believe we have a fantastic sponsor that not only enhances the image of the league but also creates a unique selling point. We are extremely excited about continuing to develop our relationship over the next three years.”