A top-flight women鈥檚 basketball team is appealing for support from businesses in the North East to help ensure its long-term future.
Last year, the former Team Northumbria joined the Newcastle Eagles, coming sixth in the Women鈥檚 British Basketball League (WBBL), the top tier of the women鈥檚 game in the 海角视频.
The women鈥檚 team is having to find its own funding, so is looking to find corporate sponsors to back the team as they bid to grow and develop their fanbase.
Mr Blake said: 鈥淗aving been in this position 23 years ago where we were building up the Eagles from scratch, we are now in a similar situation with our WBBL team. We need money coming in so the team can run, and while it鈥檚 not a case of the team folding next season, it is the reality that we need to secure funding to ensure the long-term future of Newcastle Eagles WBBL.
鈥淲e are looking at a number of ways to increase ticket sales and attendances at our matches, including moving two to a Friday night when the Eagles are not playing so that will be the main match of the weekend, but we hope to secure some corporate support to help us along the way.
鈥淭he region鈥檚 businesses have supported the Eagles so generously to get us to where we are now, and the dream would be to get our women鈥檚 team to similar heights. With sponsorship packages starting from only 拢500 a season, we hope it proves an accessible option for businesses, and would make a huge difference to us.鈥
The first sponsor to commit their support was law firm Sintons, which is also a sponsor of the men鈥檚 team.
Managing partner Mark Quigley said: 鈥淣ewcastle Eagles have, in the last two decades and under Paul鈥檚 leadership, gone from an uncertain future to become the North East鈥檚 most successful professional sports team and the 海角视频鈥檚 most successful basketball team 鈥 levels of achievement few can even dream about.
鈥淲e are pleased to be a long-term supporter of the Eagles and to extend that support to their more recently-formed WBBL team. It is only right that businesses like ours lend their backing to our regional sports teams who have to work within the constraints of tight budgets, while also playing such a central role in their local community, as the Eagles are doing increasingly in the West End of Newcastle following the opening of their stadium.
鈥淲e hope other businesses follow our lead and commit their support to the Eagles and their WBBL team.鈥
* Anyone wanting to offer support should email Dan Black, Newcastle Eagles sales and communications manager, on danblack@newcastle-eagles.com.
