Member Article

Football club nets backing from new neighbour

Blyth Town Football Club has persuaded its new neighbour to get on-side to help deliver a winning combination - both on and off the field.

A sponsorship deal with Linden Homes – which is building at North Farm, adjacent to the club – will help to run the girls under 18s team, which has already lost the equivalent of five full teams to the professional game over the last 22 years.

“We must be doing something right” says Club Chair, Sandra Orr: “Every year we see members of our girls team snapped up by academies at professional clubs. It’s important that we continue to bring new young players into the team and this generous sponsorship will help us to provide the resources our excellent coaches need.

“Steph Bannon and Lucy Staniforth, who have both captained Sunderland, came through our ranks and England star Lucy Bronze – one of the best players in the women’s game – also pulled on the white, blue and green jersey here at Blyth, before moving to the professional game.

“We look forward to working with Linden Homes which is building houses right beside us that may well end up being homes to future Blyth Town starlets!”

Established in February 1995, Blyth Town started as a junior football club with three boys teams and the aim of giving children and young people in the town something to be involved with and proud of. It now has 28 men’s, boys’ and girls’ teams and is in the process of installing a new 3G pitch at its permanent home in South Newsham - which it acquired in 2007.

Linden Homes is investing £9 million in the construction of 42 new - two to four bedroomed family homes - and a two bedroomed bungalow at North Farm. The project will create job and training opportunities in the area and work for suppliers to the construction industry.

Tracy Iles, Sales Director with Linden Homes, said: “We are delighted to be able to help a neighbour which is doing such great work in the local community. We were so impressed by the setup at Blyth Town that we also agreed to sponsor the club’s men’s first team as well.

“The club has very generously allowed us to use its car park while we are building in the area and we are looking at other ways in which we can help each other as both our development and the activities at the football club continue to grow.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .