Aycliffe Today Business AT Business Issue 30 | Page 25

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 25
Ebac boss John Elliott is encouraging
businesses to support Newton Aycliffe FC.
Football club
in a spin over
record-breaking
sponsorship deal
with Ebac
Newton Aycliffe firm
Ebac has shown
its support to the
local community by
sponsoring the town’s
football club in a
record-breaking deal.
By Martin Walker
The washing machine manufacturer has
sponsored Aycliffe’s new home shirts – the
club’s biggest shirt sponsorship deal – for
the 2017-18 Northern League first division
season in an agreement chairman Allan
Oliver described as “monumental”.
Revealing the club’s new-look, two-
tone blue strips, Oliver says it’s a major
breakthrough for the club.
“Ebac have helped us out massively here
and it has taken a monumental weight off my
shoulders,” said Oliver.
“Long-term we want more people through
the gate. But to do that you need a winning
team.
“I always compare it to the cinema – if
it’s not entertaining, you don’t go. But if
you have a winning team, they will come,
and that’s what we’re striving for, to get
supporters through the door.
“Support like this will certainly help. And
with the size of this business park, we’d be
Newton Aycliffe FC chairman Allan Oliver (left) with Ebac
chairman John Elliott, who has sponsored the Northern
League club’s home shirts for the 2017-18 season.
eternally grateful if other businesses got on
board.
“There are a lot of places up and down the
country where you’ve never been, but you’ve
heard of the football team, and we’d like to
put Newton Aycliffe on the map.
“More support from businesses will help
us to do that by improving the team as well
as our facilities.”
Ebac, which manufacturers washing
machines, dehumidifiers and water coolers
at its Aycliffe site, already sponsors the
Northern League as well as Durham County
Cricket Club’s Academy.
The company’s chairman John Elliott said:
“I think it’s very important to support grass-
roots sport in the North-East.
“We’re famous for sport, we’re very good
at it and the more we can do to support it the
better.
“Newton Aycliffe is Ebac’s local team and
I think Allan Oliver has done a great job there
over many years.
“I’ve known him for a few years and I think
he’s really performed well. It’s a real grass-
roots club with real people working together.”
Elliott has urged other business to follow
suit and back the town’s local club.
“You mustn’t look at this as a commercial
venture,” he added.
“It’s not about making money, it’s about
putting money back into society and into the
community.”
Businesses interested in sponsoring
Newton Aycliffe FC can contact Dave
Strickland on 07857 905257.