IT could have been the Smarties Stadium or the Aero Arena, but York City Football Club has settled on Kit Kat Crescent as the new name of its ground.

The club has signed a £100,000 sponsorship deal with Nestl Rowntree, giving the company naming rights of their home, Bootham Crescent, for the next two years.

The money means the club has now raised the £2.1m needed to buy back the ground from its owner, Bootham Crescent Holdings, which has secured the club's short-term future.

Under the terms of the deal, Kit Kats and other Nestl chocolate bars will be given to supporters at every home game, and staff at the company's factory in Wiggington Road, York, will be invited into the club's hospitality suite.

Club managing director Jason McGill said: "Kit Kat Crescent was the obvious choice of name for the ground as the product is manufactured in York and, like Kit Kat, City's home strip is red and white.

"We felt it was important to maintain the word crescent instead of stadium or park, and hope our supporters are pleased with the name and are proud the club is associated with such a prestigious brand."

A Nestl spokesman said: "The club is important in the lives of our staff and we think we have an obligation as a member of the community to support it and ensure its survival.

"They are potentially a big club with the right backing. I think other businesses should start supporting them as well. We can continue putting the club down or start to get involved."

News of the deal brought a mixed reaction from supporters.

Club historian Dave Batters said: "To me, Bootham Crescent will always be Bootham Crescent. The name is steeped in 70 or 80 years of history. It is also synonymous with a lot of happy memories of big cup ties."

Friends of Bootham Crescent spokesman David Allison said: "It is very disappointing to lose the name of the ground, and some supporters might feel that the name is a little bit comical."