Loggerheads FC will kick off 2010 in style thanks to a new sponsorship deal with a Staffordshire car dealership.
The village team, who celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, will wear a new strip provided with the help of Randles Suzuki which is run by Phil Wade who lives in Loggerheads.
Loggerheads FC is made up of two teams which play in the Coors League and Potteries and District Sunday League after clinching promotion in 2009.
The club celebrated its golden anniversary with a charity day last June where current players took on a veterans’ side in a match sponsored by Phil, raising £1,000 for the Donna Louise Hospice Trust in Stoke-on-Trent.
Players also took part in last year’s Potteries Half-Marathon and donated £250 to Ashley and Loggerheads Community First Responders.
Loggerheads FC chairman Keith Farrell said: “Running a football club is an expensive business and any sort of sponsorship at the moment is valuable to us.
“Phil Wade, who is the group managing director of Randles Suzuki, has been very kind in sponsoring us with a new strip and we’re very, very grateful for that.
“Last year, we raised a lot of money for our 50th anniversary and it’s just nice to get a little bit back.”
Secretary Peter Grimes said they were working hard to raise the profile of the club which plays on the Loggerheads’ Burntwood playing field.
He said: “Kevin Jones, our assistant team manager, knows Phil and persuaded him to sponsor our strip for the season.
“In this day and age, sponsorship is vital to any football team as the cost of entering a league, along with cup competitions, can cost well over £1,000 per team per season.
“Additional costs for match officials, strips, equipment, facilities and administration fees mean that extra money has to be raised to keep it affordable for players.
“Loggerheads FC has its roots firmly in the community, hence its additional commitment to local charities, and we’re also aware that with limited leisure opportunities in the village, we need to progress in providing football for local children as soon as possible.
“However, with promotion comes extra expenses and demands so to fulfil our aims, sponsorship such as this is critical and we hope our relationship with Phil Wade and Randles Suzuki is a long and fruitful one.”
