Barcelona example inspires proud Spartans

EVO-STIK League Blyth Spartans will be running out with the logo of one of the largest community charities in the UK adorning their kit when the new season kicks off.

Proud officials at Croft Park announced on Wednesday that they’d sealed a new ‘in-kind’ sponsorship agreement with the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland to follow in the footsteps of clubs around the world like Barcelona who've donated their shirt sponsorship to good causes.

The Newcastle-based charity, the UK’s biggest Community Foundation, has built an endowment of nearly £58 million from donations to the various funds it looks after to help more vulnerable members of society seeking education and employment as well as supporting the arts, the environment, community activities and amateur sport. Last year the grant-making organisation handed out more than £5 million to support local communities in the region.

The deal with the Premier Division club was agreed after club chairman Tony Platten chose the charity foundation as his charity of the year and offered free sponsorship of the club’s kit for the 2014-15 campaign. The Spartans chairman, together with his wife Anne, are the latest philanthropic family to open a fund and in addition to the sponsorship, are aiming to support local people into employment by donating more than £100,000 a year through The Platten Family Fund.

Platten said: "Blyth Spartans is a local club full of ambition. Whilst I wouldn’t want to make comparisons between our charitable sponsorship to that of Barcelona and UNICEF, I do believe that ambition is best shown by example.

"We’re delighted to offer free in-kind support to the Community Foundation which helps to make stronger communities through its grant making, including many local grassroots sports activities in Blyth and the local area."

Ash Winter OBE, the foundation's Chair of the Board of Trustees, is pictured with Platten and he added: "We were delighted to be approached by Tony with the offer of free sponsorship of Blyth Spartans. Football clubs such as this make up the fabric of our local community, showing the passion that exists in our region.

"Blyth Spartans have a great history as well as ambition and community awareness. Community is our cause, and we hope this new exposure can help us to reach new audiences, to extend our giving to those who really need our support."