Member Article

County Durham football club offers up stadium naming rights

One of the region’s football clubs is offering businesses an opportunity to put their name on its stadium in a special corporate package.

County Durham club Newton Aycliffe, who currently play in the Ebac Northern League first division, want to increase links with the local business community and has drawn up a range of new options for the 2014-15 season.

And its stadium, one of the Northern League’s youngest grounds, is up for grabs to firms who buy into the scheme.

Businesses are asked to buy a ‘ticket’ for just £100, with the winner being drawn at random and getting exclusive naming rights to Moore Lane Park - a package worth £5,000 a year.

There will also be runner-up prizes of pitchside perimeter advertising boards (worth £300) as well as match and matchball sponsorship packages worth up to £100.

It means every business which buys a ticket will win something in return for its investment.

The initiative is being backed by John Finley, Managing Director of Aycliffe firm Finley Structures, which earlier this year won a high-profile, 2,000-tonne contract from Shepherd Construction to work on Hitachi Rail Europe’s £82m train-building factory on Aycliffe Business Park.

Mr Finley provided the steel for a new stand at Moore Lane Park three years ago which enabled the club to gain promotion to the Northern League first division.

He said: “I think this is a fantastic initiative by Newton Aycliffe FC and a great way for businesses to support their local football club, but also to get something for their money at the same time.

“We’ve always been big supporters of the club and we think it’s important for local firms to do their bit.

“Aycliffe’s success in recent years has been phenomenal, but with that success comes the added expense of running a club at a top non-league level, and I’ve always been hugely impressed by the army of volunteers who give up their time to run the club.

“Supporting local sport is a nice to do, but there is also great satisfaction from investing a little and helping to play your part.”

The 2014-15 season will be Aycliffe’s fourth consecutive campaign in the Ebac Northern League first division.

The club’s President Phil Wilson, the MP for Sedgefield, said: “From a business point of view this is a no-brainer.

“We’re asking for firms to donate what is a nominal amount of money, but they get something in return for that investment regardless of whether they win the rights to the ground or not.

“But if they win it, of course, it’s a fantastic opportunity for local firms to increase the awareness of their company to a big regional market.”

Another Aycliffe firm, Ebac, the manufacturers of dehumidifiers and chest freezers, has seen the benefits of investing in local sport by sponsoring the Northern League.

The naming rights to Aycliffe’s ground would bring positive and regular coverage in the local media as well other additional spin-offs.

But there are a number of other corporate packages available with Aycliffe, including shirt sponsorships.

Chairman Allan Oliver, who runs his own concrete reinforcing business, said: “This is a critical time of the year for Northern League clubs and we’re always looking for ways of engaging more with the local business community.

“We think this gives firms a great chance to get involved without breaking the bank – there’s a top prize up for grabs, but every business which buys in is guaranteed to win something.

“Our kits are also currently available for sponsorship, and they enable firms to increase brand awareness to a wide audience across the whole of the North, with our team travelling to well-known clubs in the Tyneside, Wearside, Teesside and Cumbria areas as well as on their doortstep in County Durham.”

Firms who take out shirt sponsorship and pitchside perimeter advertising boards at Aycliffe are automatically entered into the stadium rebranding draw.

To get involved with the club, call General Manager Dan Lewis on 07581 784726 or email djl@thesoccerfactoryltd.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .