Ebbsfleet United and Eurostar ? the high-speed passenger train
operator that links the UK with France and Belgium ? today announced a
three-year sponsorship deal with the Directors of Ebbsfleet United FC,
formerly known as Gravesend & Northfleet FC.
The sponsorship agreement, one of the largest in non-League
football, will see Eurostar partnering with The Fleet to put Ebbsfleet
International station and the growing Ebbsfleet community on the
national map. As part of the deal, Eurostar will also help the club
with its new educational initiative ? Playing for Success.
Ebbsfleet United FC has a strong following among
the local community and has enjoyed an impressive rise over the last
four seasons, gaining promotion from the Ryman League to the Nationwide
Conference. The team finished seventh in the Conference this season
and, like the Ebbsfleet area, is looking to make even greater progress
next year.
As lead sponsors of Ebbsfleet United FC, Eurostar?s logo will be
included in kit branding, all marketing and promotional literature,
advertising boards and announcements on the pitch, as well as match
tickets and corporate hospitality packages.
Supporters of The Fleet will also benefit directly from Eurostar?s
sponsorship of the club, with free travel tickets from Ebbsfleet
International to Lille, Brussels or Paris to be offered in competitions
that will run throughout next season.
Simon Montague, Communications Director of Eurostar, commented: ?As
new neighbours in north Kent, Eurostar wants to play a full part in the
local community, providing both job opportunities and making a wider
contribution. Sponsoring Ebbsfleet United FC is an excellent way for us
to support local people and the local team, and to maximise our
involvement in what will be an exciting new era for everyone in the Ebbsfleet area.
?We are delighted that Ebbsfleet United FC has recently been awarded
the FA Community Club Charter Standard for developing for its youth and
ladies sections and is presently working to provide educational facilities for underprivileged children?.
Jason Botley, Club Chairman, commented: ?This is great news for a
club like Ebbsfleet United. To be working in partnership with one of
the strongest brands in the UK and Europe is a privilege for us and
really endorses the ambitions my fellow directors and I have for this
club.
?Ebbsfleet is a key regeneration area and as more homes and
businesses are built here, The Fleet will attract more and more
participants to the club as well as new fans. Eurostar?s sponsorship
for the next three years gives us a solid base on which to build
towards bigger and better goals!?
Eurostar?s new Ebbsfleet International station is strategically
located just off Junction 2 of the M25, close to the Bluewater shopping
complex and Gravesend and Northfleet in north Kent. When it opens on
Monday 19 November, the station will be the fastest way to Europe with
journey times of just 2h05 to Paris, 1h41 to Brussels and 1h10 to Lille.
Ebbsfleet International lies at the heart of a catchment of more
than 10 million people across southern England and is closer to the M25
than any of London?s airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted
and Luton.
It will enable millions of travellers to switch from plane to train
and will also offer an attractive new alternative to Waterloo
International for people living south of London.
Eurostar website: www.eurostar.com
