Nowadays, modern sport is much more financially complex than ever before. Professional athletes are better paid, and gate receipts alone seldom cover costs, which is why additional fundraising has become a vital part of sports administration. The most successful teams raise millions through shirt sponsorship, stadium naming rights, merchandising and partnership arrangements - Manchester United even have an official airline.
Seven tiers down the football pyramid, the numbers are much smaller but additional fundraising is no less important. In the Ryman League Division 1 North, shirts are sponsored, advertising hoardings sold and match sponsors sought. My local team, Needham Market FC, are acknowledged to be a very well run outfit and, when I discovered that match sponsorship was surprisingly reasonable, the information was filed away for future use.
I am not the easiest person to find gifts for, and so when my mum and dad asked what I would like for Christmas, just after Ros and I had watched the FA Cup game against Cambridge United, I thought, why not sponsor a league fixture? And so, a few weeks ago, I rang the club, and asked if there was a match available to be sponsored. Mark Easlea, the Secretary, checked, and it was agreed that I would sponsor the match against Ware FC.
And so, today, I made my debut as a sponsor of a football club. I brought along, as my guests - I was entitled to three - Ros, my stepdaughter Sally and her husband Brij. I was greeted by Alan, the Commercial Manager and escorted to the Boardroom for tea and a chat with the Management Committee before we took our seats in the stand before kick-off.
It's been a difficult season for non-league clubs. The endless rain through the winter caused a series of postponed matches, leaving a lot of teams having to play three times a week to catch up, and both teams had played on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday as part of that. The side effects are tiredness and injury, which left Needham Market without a recognised striker. Their opponents were in the bottom four, but their recent improved form meant that they wouldn't be easily beaten.
The first half started brightly for the home team, although opportunities were few, but as the half went on, Needham Market began to dominate, creating chances but not taking them until, as the half-time whistle approached, Dave Cowley had the ball in the net. Sadly, the referee's assistant had flagged for offside. Encouraged, Needham Market pressed again, and Chris Hogg, formerly of Hibernian and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, headed home the opener just in time.
We retired to the Boardroom for more tea and a finger buffet before returning for the second half. The Marketmen continued to create chances but not take them, and tiredness was beginning to take its toll. Ware began to make more of an impression but, apart from some long-range efforts that were off target or relatively easily dealt with by keeper Andrew Plummer, it looked for all the world is if a team in red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts were going to win 1-0.
There was a late scare, when a Ware free-kick had to be acrobatically tipped over the bar, but the final whistle wasn't far away and Needham Market had the three points. I was tasked with picking the Man of the Match and, having consulted, chose the right-back, Luke Ingram, a decision which seemed to go down well amongst the 226 paying spectators - the best league attendance since October.
I presented him with his prize, a bottle of wine, posed for a photograph, and we headed for the bar for a deserved drink.
So, four tickets, a programme each, seats, refreshments and the chance to pick the Man of the Match, plus a mention in the programme, all for just £100, which for a day out for four isn't that expensive. I might do it again next season and, perhaps more importantly for the club, I might go along to the odd match as time permits.
I think that local sporting clubs play a vital role in their communities, and a well run one like Needham Market FC, with an academy for young footballers and ambitions to provide a resource for use by the whole community, has the ability to transform. Across the country, volunteers make that happen and, by giving a little financial support, people like me can make a small contribution. I would encourage anyone with a little spare cash to do something similar.
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