May 18th, 2009
Well it’s out! For a few months we have been sitting on the news that UKFast are officially the main sponsors of Sale Sharks Premier rugby club.
So why a sport sponsorship deal?
It was not an easy decision spending millions of pounds of a hard earned marketing budget in one go, with the recession still firmly gripping society however I felt it important to take the opportunity and be decisive. Its a 3 year deal and when an opportunity as large as this comes up, in my opinion you grab it with both hands.
It is also important to look beyond the economic downturn. The credit crunch will not last forever and it is important to stand by what you believe in. For those fans who go to all the home games, you will know that UKFast gets a mention every time Charlie Hodgson scores. A few seasons back, he injured himself and although we were offered a replacement player, we stuck with Charlie. He came back, stronger, fitter and in my opinion is one of the greatest fly-halves in today’s tough game.
So when McAfee wavered, I made sure we had a window where we were able to negotiate without interruption.
I have had a few chats with Brian Kennedy, and he is grateful for the support and for the fact that there are others in the Manchester and Northwest business community who understand and believe in what the Sharks are doing.
It is the work the Sharks do team building in schools and with kids which sealed it for us. It is so easy to disengage and get transfixed on your financial goals and loose site of what is really important. Gail and I put as much emphasis on hitting personal goals as we do the financial ones, and this had been born from a discussion a decade ago, when First Software were on the shirts “one day, we’ll be main sponsors.”
10 years on, the Sharks, UKFast partnership is more than a logo on a shirt. It gives us an opportunity to say thank you to Manchester and the surrounding community. It is the fun part of being an entrepreneur which enables us to do something as exiting as this.
Just cant wait for the season to start now!
![[Slashdot]](http://slashdot.org/favicon.ico)
![[Digg]](http://digg.com/favicon.ico)
![[Reddit]](http://reddit.com/favicon.ico)
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif)
![[Facebook]](http://www.facebook.com/favicon.ico)
![[Technorati]](http://technorati.com/favicon.ico)
![[Google]](http://www.google.com/favicon.ico)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.stumbleupon.com/favicon.ico)
Tags: credit crunch, economic downturn, entrepreneur, marketing, motivation, recession, sport, team building, UKFast
Posted in Business advice, Business motivation, Lawrence Jones, SaleSharks, UKFast | 2 Comments »
February 26th, 2008
As a sportsman and a businessman, it is my pleasure to support local grass roots talent.
Sport and business go hand in hand. In both it takes talent and practice to get to the top of your game and in my opinion, some of the most motivated businessmen are keen sports players.
Sportspeople set goals and strive to achieve them. They relish a challenge and don’t shy away when things get tough. People who play sport have an ability to stay focused and find it easier to work as a team.
Apart from that, sport promotes a healthy body and a competitive mindset – which can be very useful in the business environment.
At UKFast we take a lot of note from the way great sportspeople train and use their techniques. The vast majority of the tasks we undertake are done routinely with a goal in sight.
As a supporter and sponsor of Sale Sharks rugby for many years, I’m proud to have been there to see the team grow from strength to strength.
By sponsoring local sports teams, you are able to play an active part in the community. At UKFast we’ve taken part in various rugby days for children so they can benefit from the sport too.
Additionally, with the sponsorship of the team we have been able to meet and build relationships with other Manchester businesses.
But it is not just established teams I like to be involved with. I am currently sponsoring two young tennis players, Naomi and Liam Broady.
The two have been highlighted as the nation’s freshest talent and by doing what we can to help them we offer the ability to further their careers in sport for as long as possible.
So in my opinion, sport is a wonderful way to motivate yourself and your team and of course it goes towards fulfilling your business’s corporate social responsibility.
Tags: sport, UKFast
Posted in Lawrence Jones, Uncategorized | No Comments »
