BUOYANT Huddersfield Giants have extended their ground-breaking Super League partnership with the University of Huddersfield for two more seasons.

The tie-up will see the University of Huddersfield name displayed on the front of both the principal and alternative shirts and replicas for the 2006 and 2007 season.

The University came on board for the first time last season, signing a one-year deal.

And the fact the partnership has been extended for a further two years shows how strong the link has become.

"This is a huge boost to the club," said Giants general manager Richard Thewlis.

"It demonstrates the joint success we enjoyed last year is recognised by the University as beneficial to them, and I am delighted they wished to extend the arrangement for a further two seasons.

"Our tie-ups have been very well-documented and will continue to go from strength to strength as we involve more and more students and University staff in our exciting plans for the future.

"The University now has over 17,000 students and 2,000 staff, all of whom have a great opportunity to involve themselves at our club.

"The newly-designed 2006 claret and gold shirt can now go into production and I look forward to it being in the shops well before Christmas."

The University are confident the partnership will further help increase its profile, with Head of Public Relations Philip Williams believing the link will prove a winning combination.

"We are delighted to continue our partnership arrangement with the Huddersfield Giants," he said.

"As well as helping to raise our profile and support the club, the partnership has led to increased interaction on the academic side.

"Our students are involved in a surprisingly broad range of activities with the Giants now, both in terms of our Health and Sports Studies courses and with Media Studies. We've found that Huddersfield's sporting associations strike a chord with students, so it's good to see our involvement continue."

As well as the University link, the Giants have again secured the services of Thatchers Furnishings as a secondary sponsor, with their name also on the new shirt.