Cougars get shirty for cancer charity
10:56pm Monday 28th July 2008
Ground-breaking Cougars have followed football giants Barcelona’s lead with a bold new sponsorship deal – the first of its kind in rugby league.
Keighley will donate their main shirt sponsorship to charity with the Sue Ryder Care Manorlands Hospice at Oxenhope benefiting until 2011.
Barcelona were the first club to take such a move when they linked up with UNICEF two years ago, while Aston Villa are doing likewise with Acorns Children’s Hospice in the Premiership campaign ahead.
But such a venture has never been seen before in rugby league, meaning the National League Two club are now pioneers following yesterday’s launch at Cougar Park.
The new deal sees the charity’s logo emblazoned across the team’s shirts and will run in tandem with a fresh membership scheme called The Keighley Community Club.
Proud Cougars chairman Neil Spencer said: “We are tremendously excited by this innovative initiative which is a world first for rugby league and supports a hugely important charity.
“Our support of Manorlands and the launch of the The KC Club in tandem will bring tremendous benefits to both our club and community.
“We believe it can drive us forward as a professional sporting organisation and, more significantly, create a platform for us to increase the reach of our already successful community programmes.
“We hope the Sue Ryder Care Manorlands Hospice will enjoy an increased profile and additional resource to assist their vital work. Many families are unfortunately touched by cancer and we hope donating our front-of-shirt sponsorship in this way will reassure our community we are committed to this important cause.”
The KC Club is an exclusive members’ club offering a wide range of benefits while making weekly cash donations to the Manorlands Hospice.
The Cougars believe the initiative will not only safeguard the future of the town’s only professional sporting organisation but also enable them to offer education through sport to the youth of Keighley’s community.
Local business Sunwin Nissan has already supported the The KC Club by donating two vehicles to assist with promoting the partnership.
Spencer added: “I would now encourage as many people as possible to join The KC Club; it can become something Keighley Cougars and the town of Keighley can be very proud of.”
Sue Ryder Care Manorlands Hospice’s Jodie Shepherd said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this initiative with Keighley Cougars and are grateful to have been chosen. We rely on voluntary donations for the majority of our £2million running costs and the support of our local communities means a great deal to us.”
To become a member of the KC club, contact the office on 01535-606044, download an application from the website on www.keighleycougars.info or call into the office at Cougar Park, Sunwin Nissan or Manorlands Hospice.