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Virgin trains sponsor Darlington Football club

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DarloRich

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Darlington football club have today announced a 2 year sponsorship deal with virgin trains!

Fantastic that a club newly promoted into conference north can attract a national company as main sponsor - superb news

http://darlingtonfootballclub.co.uk...two-year-sponsorship-deal-with-virgin-trains/

Darlington Football Club has joined forces with Virgin Trains in a two-year-deal which will see the East Coast route operator feature on all first team and replica kits.

The news comes after several meetings between the club and Virgin Trains over the last three months, and club director John Tempest said; “We have worked very hard to secure a top national sponsor and for a club at our level to attract Virgin Trains is a real coup and demonstrates we are taking the club to the next level in terms of corporate sponsorship.” Speaking about the deal, Darlington FC manager Martin Gray said: “The new shirt with Virgin’s logo on it looks fantastic and to have such a well-known and successful brand on the kit shirt reinforces the history and tradition of our great Club in attracting such interest.”

Richard Cook, Club Director added: “ The announcement of our partnership with Virgin Trains is the first of a number of exciting announcements the club will be making to the fans of Darlington FC over the coming months as we move back home to Darlington. With this season’s promotion and the successful fund raising for the Back to Darlo appeal there has never been a better time to support The Quakers.”

Phillip Peacock, Brand Partnerships Manager for Virgin Trains said: “It’s an exciting time to be working with Darlington FC....
 
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Saint66

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Virgin Trains West Coast have sponsored Carlisle and Preston for a few years now, again two relatively lesser known clubs, so it's interesting to see that Darlington is first club on the East Coast that they've decided to sponsor.

Like you say, great to see such a big company sponsoring a club at this level. I would love my Conference South club to get such a sponsor!
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Darlington football club have today announced a 2 year sponsorship deal with virgin trains!

Fantastic that a club newly promoted into conference north can attract a national company as main sponsor - superb news

http://darlingtonfootballclub.co.uk/

A very good piece of news and one that marks yet another upwards step in your fight back from the very unfair league demotion disgrace that was foisted upon such a club as yours not so very long ago, by the football authorities.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Hopefully Grand Central will follow the lead and start to sponsor Bradford Park Avenue :D

Well, they do sponsor the "latest scores" updates on the big screen at Huddersfield Town despite not serving the town itself. They only enter the HD postcode area at Brighouse.
 

marks87

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Would be quite apt to name a loco since they're almost always at the down end of the train.









;)
 

AndyHudds

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Well, they do sponsor the "latest scores" updates on the big screen at Huddersfield Town despite not serving the town itself. They only enter the HD postcode area at Brighouse.

Yeah but Brighouse is a Town stronghold, Bradford don't get a look in!!!

As someone who travels to a lot of away games, I wish the club would maybe strike up some kind of partnership with Grand Central for some deals on cheap tickets. I've used them before for away games, Wembley in 2012 and various other London trips, they offer a decent service, despite it being on the slow side.
 

MonsooN

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It'd be nice if they sponsored Newcastle - we've already had Virgin Money after all and that was when we had a great season and qualified for Europe!

Virgin Money - the two things that motivate footballers the most!
 

Lankyline

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Virgin Trains West Coast have sponsored Carlisle and Preston for a few years now, again two relatively lesser known clubs, so it's interesting to see that Darlington is first club on the East Coast that they've decided to sponsor.

Like you say, great to see such a big company sponsoring a club at this level. I would love my Conference South club to get such a sponsor!

Sorry but Preston a lesser known club:shock: we are one of the founding football league clubs, first to do the double and are proud to have Sir Tom Finney arguably one of the greatest footballers not only in the UK but the world !

Anyway if the deal is anything like ours at North End, season ticket holders get 25% off advance tickets
 

ash39

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To be fair to saint66 he did say 'relatively' - Preston haven't been in the top flight for around 50 years ! Not saying they weren't a successful club in their day.

Leeds United or Newcastle would be great clubs for Virgin to be sponsoring. Large clubs with a huge fanbase from cities on their main route. Going off previous deals though it looks like their approach is to go for lower league clubs where the cost is probably much lower. Mind you if Newcastle have a bad run from now to the end of the season they could both be Championship clubs next year!
 

racyrich

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Virgin trains are also sponsoring the Tour de Yorkshire cycle stage race this weekend.
I don't know what that sponsorship entailed. I see the race leader today was presented with a Hornby loco, Flying Scotsman I think.

tdy2016-st2-Groenewegen-podium.jpg
 

alexl92

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To be fair to saint66 he did say 'relatively' - Preston haven't been in the top flight for around 50 years ! Not saying they weren't a successful club in their day.

Leeds United or Newcastle would be great clubs for Virgin to be sponsoring. Large clubs with a huge fanbase from cities on their main route. Going off previous deals though it looks like their approach is to go for lower league clubs where the cost is probably much lower. Mind you if Newcastle have a bad run from now to the end of the season they could both be Championship clubs next year!

They would be great clubs, but you wouldn't want to associate yourself with Mike Ashley or Massimo Cellino at the moment! :D
 

RichmondCommu

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Virgin Trains West Coast have sponsored Carlisle and Preston for a few years now, again two relatively lesser known clubs, so it's interesting to see that Darlington is first club on the East Coast that they've decided to sponsor.

Preston North End a lesser known club???? Really???? Their list of honour's is far more impressive than many other clubs. PNE are a famous old club with a proud tradition.
 

Iskra

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Preston North End a lesser known club???? Really???? Their list of honour's is far more impressive than many other clubs. PNE are a famous old club with a proud tradition.

Of course anyone who follows football will have heard of PNE.

However, if you don't follow football and don't live in the North West you are unlikely to have heard of them, since they haven't been a top flight team for a long time and are from a relatively obscure place in the North West. I therefore think its entirely fair to say they are a lesser known club.
 

Old Yard Dog

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The real club from Bradford!

Its a pity Low Moor station won't be as near to Bradford's current home at Horsfall Stadium (it's one mile uphill) than Horton Park was to Park Avenue (just across the road). Horsfall was the terminus of Bradford's last tram route which closed in 1950 on the day Bradford played their last ever game in division 2 away at Luton.

See the Bradford website

www.bradfordfc.org.uk

for full details of how football fans travelled to Park Avenue to watch the real Bradford FC in the 1890's, long before Manningham changed their name to Bradford City.

Valley Parade used to be served by Manningham station and I remember a football special from Newcastle dropping off there in March 1963. However the Geordies had to make their way to the old Forster Square station after their 6-1 victory.

Grand Central, who hope to serve Low Moor, used to sponsor Halifax Town.
 
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6Gman

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Virgin trains are also sponsoring the Tour de Yorkshire cycle stage race this weekend.
I don't know what that sponsorship entailed. I see the race leader today was presented with a Hornby loco, Flying Scotsman I think.

tdy2016-st2-Groenewegen-podium.jpg

Looks thrilled!

Perhaps a diesel fan?

:D
 

Lankyline

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Of course anyone who follows football will have heard of PNE.

However, if you don't follow football and don't live in the North West you are unlikely to have heard of them, since they haven't been a top flight team for a long time and are from a relatively obscure place in the North West. I therefore think its entirely fair to say they are a lesser known club.

Ok i'll bite, don't see how living outside the north west means you are unlikely to have heard of PNEFC, despite our lack of presence in the top flight our history and tradition is widely known outside football circles, though I fail to see how being in the premiership makes you a "better known" team eg Swansea, Norwich, Bournmouth to name but three examples of how that argument fails.
As for being from a "relatively obscure" place, really !!, anyone on this forum knows the significance of Preston from a railway perspective alone, but this is not the thread to extol the virtues of the place I was born or the team I support, only to say it's easy to make sweeping statements without any justification ! Rant over
 

Iskra

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Ok i'll bite, don't see how living outside the north west means you are unlikely to have heard of PNEFC, despite our lack of presence in the top flight our history and tradition is widely known outside football circles, though I fail to see how being in the premiership makes you a "better known" team eg Swansea, Norwich, Bournmouth to name but three examples of how that argument fails.
As for being from a "relatively obscure" place, really !!, anyone on this forum knows the significance of Preston from a railway perspective alone, but this is not the thread to extol the virtues of the place I was born or the team I support, only to say it's easy to make sweeping statements without any justification ! Rant over

I'm not baiting you.

Non-football followers are in my opinion unlikely to have heard of PNE. Even more so the further you get away from Preston.

Simple, the media coverage of the Premiership is an order of magnitude higher than that of the Championship. The only clubs who receive anything like Premiership coverage in the Championship are Leeds, Derby and Forest.

Yes, railway enthusiasts are highly likely to know about a major junction on the WCML. Outside of the railway world and Lancashire where it is the administrative centre, I think you'll find it's hardly known. I'm sorry if that doesn't fit comfortably with your view of the world.
 

Gemz91

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Ok i'll bite, don't see how living outside the north west means you are unlikely to have heard of PNEFC, despite our lack of presence in the top flight our history and tradition is widely known outside football circles, though I fail to see how being in the premiership makes you a "better known" team eg Swansea, Norwich, Bournmouth to name but three examples of how that argument fails.
As for being from a "relatively obscure" place, really !!, anyone on this forum knows the significance of Preston from a railway perspective alone, but this is not the thread to extol the virtues of the place I was born or the team I support, only to say it's easy to make sweeping statements without any justification ! Rant over

But teams such as Swansea, Norwich or Bournmouth receive far more TV and media coverage then any club in League One does, because of the league they play in, and the interest in clubs who they pay. So, from a sponsorship view, if you was to sponsor any Premiership club, how ever "big" or "small" you'll get far more exposure for your company, on the back page of the papers, Match of the Day, news, Sky Sports News ect, then you will if you sponsor a Championship club, how ever well known they are, who might get 3 minutes on Channel 5 once a week, and a small photo in the sun twice a season.
 
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