THE ADDED VALUE OF SPONSORSHIP
A good sponsor not only provides the high profile benefits that we are all aware of but quite often there are other rewards which do not always receive the same amount of publicity. This is certainly the case with our title sponsors and good friends at NatWest.
When our partnership with NatWest began in 1998 the bank, in addition to providing the main title sponsorship, was keen to also provide grass roots assistance to help develop sport in our island communities. With this in mind the NatWest Sports Development Programme was designed with the following aims:
Sports Development: increase participation levels and improve standards of performance.
Coaching: increase the number of qualified coaches and improve standards of coaching.
Technical Officials: increase the number of qualified sports technical officials e.g. referees, umpires.
Travel: assist sports associations and individuals to travel for competition out of their own Island.
I am delighted to report that the scheme is proving to be just as popular and beneficial today as it was back in 1998. Last year eighteen applications were approved for assistance involving ten of our member islands.
In 2014 a variety of applications were received across all of the above categories including:
Western Isles – assistance for athletes, cyclists and triathletes to travel to Scotland for a training and information camp covering nutrition and diet; strength and conditioning and sports psychology.
Gotland – funding for an initiative to send coaches into schools to introduce more children to the sport of Basketball.
Ynys Mon – assist the Athletics Association to host it’s first ever open Athletics Meeting.
Jersey – provide funding to qualify more badminton umpires and tennis line judges for the 2015 NatWest Island Games.
We are delighted that NatWest has recently agreed to extend the current sponsorship arrangement until 2019 and especially pleased that this will include the NatWest Sports Development Programme.
Thank you NatWest.
Jorgen Pettersson, Chairman of the International Island Games Association (IIGA)
