A team of talented young Northumberland footballers are hoping to kick on with the help of a new kit sponsorship from a North East housebuilder.
The South/West Northumberland District U13s team is now wearing the logo of Banks Homes on its match day kit, as well as on the new three-quarter training tops that the sponsorship has also funded.
The team is drawn from across the Tyne Valley and the south of Northumberland, from Ponteland to Seaton Sluice, and plays league matches against district teams from every other part of the North East.
Schools across the qualifying area put forward players for consideration at a trials day every year, with squad training sessions and home matches then played at the Lemington Football Centre at Westerhope.
Michael Woods, senior community coach at the Newcastle United Foundation, who coaches the South/West Northumberland District U13s, says: “We try to provide the most supportive possible environment in which our squad members can develop new skills, try new things and make mistakes, all in the name of helping them grow as players and, just as importantly, as people.
“We have proper training structures in place and with the quality we’ve seen so far, we’re very optimistic about what the squad can achieve this season.
“Having this new sponsored kit has been a real boost for the team’s self-confidence – everyone looks really sharp and together, which is in turn a real factor in helping their performance levels, and we’re very grateful to Banks Homes for funding this much-needed new strip, which our district teams will be able to wear for many years to come.”
Part of the County Durham-headquartered, family-owned Banks Group, Banks Homes is building a growing portfolio of high-quality residential sites across North East England and Yorkshire, including at West Rainton, Durham City and Yarm.
It recently announced plans for a residential development within the new Kingston Village site, to the north west of Newcastle and adjacent to Newcastle Great Park.
Russ Hall, managing director at Banks Homes, adds: “Our Development With Care approach makes delivering tangible benefits into the communities in which we’re investing a central part of our way of working.
“The South/West Northumberland District U13s gives local young footballers a brilliant platform to develop their game, both as individuals and together as a team, and it’s great to be able to contribute to this development through this very smart new strip.”