March Town go into tonight’s Hinchingbrooke Cup Final with a new sponsor on board for next season and a clear plan for the future.
The Hares face off against Blackstone’s at Yaxley’s Toojays Stadium (kick-off 7.45pm) on the day that they have announced Suction Excavation UK as their main backer for the next three years.
The club has also revealed its aims to progress to playing Step 4 football within the next two to three seasons, as well as expanding the clubhouse, putting up a new stand and improving floodlights.
Speaking as the new sponsor was unveiled, March Town vice chairman Marc Welcher said: “I approached Kevin (Burke, Suction Excavation UK MD) about coming and helping us out and he was more than happy to get involved.
“He’s a local businessman who employs a lot of local people and wants to put something back into the community.
“We want to get up to Step 4 in the next two or three seasons and this three-year sponsorship deal can help us with this aim.
“Hopefully the money he is going to push into the club will allow us to make bigger steps both on and off the pitch.
“Mainly the money that’s coming in from Kevin will be used to make things better on a match day.
“We have some drawings being done at the moment so we can apply for planning permission to extend the clubhouse and we are also looking at improving the floodlights and putting up a new stand.
“It’s important to get things right for the longevity of the club rather than just throw money at the squad.
“If you look around at clubs at Step 4 and 5 a lot of them attract big investors who put money into the team but then get bored and walk away.
“We want to be a lot more sustainable than that and we will work within our means to make sure that we progress on and off the pitch in the same manner.”
Kevin Burke, MD of Suction Excavation UK, said: “I am proud to be sponsoring March Town. It’s something I’ve been interested in for a while but not had the opportunity before. Now I am looking forward to the new season to see what the sponsorship brings to everyone.
“We’ve sponsored grassroots and kids teams before but this is the first time at this level and we’re all excited about it. I hope we can help March develop into a bigger club and that the whole town gets behind them.”
Previous main sponsors Art on Glass and Cambridgeshire Brickwork have stepped down after eight years but will still be sponsoring the U18s next season.
March chairman Lee Brownlow said: “This is the end of an era for the club and we offer our sincere thanks to Dan Brownlow and Gary White who stepped up and supported the club when it really needed it.
“The guys have always been there side by side with us through the past eight years and have undoubtedly been a major factor in the club being where we are today.
“As a club, we are continuing to strive to improve and whilst we look forward to what lies ahead we will always remember those who helped us get where we are.”
Gary White of Cambridgeshire Brickwork Ltd added: “Myself and Dan would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at March Town who have represented Cambridgeshire Brickwork and Art on Glass on and off the pitch over the last eight years of our companies being the main sponsors.
”We would like to thank Phil White and Gerry Roe for all the hard work they have done during this period and all previous board members and anyone that has previously been associated with the club and been involved in our journey.
”The club is now in an unbelievable place from when we started and we both take great pride in having helped the club get to the level where they are today. We feel it’s time for someone to take it to the next level and we are very excited to see where their journey goes.
”We would like to thank all the current and previous players who have made a massive impact in this period to get the team to the current level it’s at and a huge thank you to all the management team past and present that commit each week to guide them there.
”Myself and Dan would also like to thank Lee Brownlow, Marc Welcher and all the current board members, staff and volunteers for their continued support throughout our time at the club and we wish everyone at the club the best of luck for the future.”
