Four St Ives firms join forces to kit out St Ives RFC’s Hakes

Seventy polo shirts. Seventy pairs of shorts. Seventy jumpers. And four local business names on every one of them.

St Ives RFC has agreed a two-year co-sponsorship deal with Ayr Holiday Park, CVC Solicitors, Greenwood Wilson Accountants and Symons Construction, who have teamed up to provide kit and awareness for the club both on and off the pitch.

What the deal covers

Between them, the four businesses are funding “off field” kit for the Hakes: 70 polo shirts, 70 shorts and 70 jumpers. Players, coaches and managers will wear it before games and at training.

The kit will be seen by visitors, supporters and players at home and away, and out and about away from the grounds too, as part of an awareness drive for the club.

📷Back: Bradley Gibson, Jimmy Stevens and Joff Rowe – St Ives RFC. Front: Nathan Lorraine - CVC Solicitors; Rob Langley and Pete Brotheridge – Greenwood Wilson; Glen Kent - Symons Construction; and Andrew Baragwanath – Ayr Holiday Park.

Local support “key to our success”

Chairman of St Ives RFC, Ian Sanders, explained why the deal matters.

“The sponsorship we receive from local businesses is key to our success and we are extremely grateful to Ayr Holiday Park, CVC Solicitors, Greenwood Wilson Accountants and Symons Construction for teaming up to support us in this latest partnership. Their sponsorship will enable off-field kit for the Hakes which will not only be invaluable to players, coaches and managers, it will also drive awareness of our club before games, at training, and also importantly outside of the club, as the kit is worn for the gym or casual wear around the town. The Club would like to say a huge thank you to them all.”

Bradley Gibson, St Ives RFC Committee and Life Member, added:

“We are extremely grateful for the support of all our sponsors as we start the season. St Ives RFC will once again field two senior men’s teams, the Hakes and the Gurnards, which entails a huge amount of work behind the scenes and is a great reflection of the commitment and ambition within the club.”

Why the four businesses got involved

For Ayr Holiday Park, the off-field kit follows on from an existing link with the first team. Owner Andrew Baragwanath said:

“Ayr Holiday Park is proud to be supporting St Ives RFC. We have sponsored the Hakes playing shirts, so the off field kit was a natural complement to this, along with a great opportunity to collaborate with other businesses who are so supportive of the local community.”

CVC Solicitors has had a pitch board at the ground for some time. Nathan Lorraine, Operations Manager, said:

“Having supported St Ives RFC for some time through a pitch board at the grounds, we are delighted to take our sponsorship to the next level. We are pleased to have developed an opportunity to support the club both on and off the pitch and are excited for the coming season.”

Greenwood Wilson Accountants already has connections to the club through its staff. Director Rachel Brotheridge said:

“With connections to the club through our employees, we are pleased to have the perfect way to get more involved. We hope that the off field kit will help St Ives RFC to reach even more men, women and children that may be interested in getting involved with the club, both on and off the pitch, playing and volunteering.”

Symons Construction, already involved with the St Ives Biathlon, sees the deal as a way to widen its support in the town. Director Glen Kent said:

“We are proud to have developed a partnership with St Ives RFC which enables us to support our local community and collaborate with other businesses. Already involved with the St Ives Biathlon, this opportunity enables us to widen our support to another organisation at the heart of the St Ives community. We are excited about the start of a new season for St Ives RFC and of a new partnership for Symons Construction.”

Fixtures at Alexandra Road

The club says there are cracking fixtures, local rivalries and plenty of rugby to look forward to at Alexandra Road this season. Supporters are being asked to get the dates in their diary, wear their blue with pride and pack those touchlines.

The 1st XV and 2nd XV fixtures are pinned to the top of the St Ives RFC Facebook page.

Businesses wanting to make an extra special occasion of it can still book some dates for corporate sponsored match days. But the club warns that matches are going fast.

📷Back: Bradley Gibson, Jimmy Stevens and Joff Rowe – St Ives RFC. Front: Nathan Lorraine - CVC Solicitors; Rob Langley and Pete Brotheridge – Greenwood Wilson; Glen Kent - Symons Construction; and Andrew Baragwanath – Ayr Holiday Park.