LONG-SERVING Batley Chairman Kevin Nicholas is reflecting on a sweet success story as another season approaches for the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium club.
For it’s ten years since the forging of a sponsorship deal under which one of the West Yorkshire town’s biggest employers put their name to the Bulldogs’ historic Mount Pleasant ground, where rugby has been played since 1880.
Fox’s, whose Batley link goes back to 1853, when local baker Michael Spedding started selling brandy snaps, have undergone an ownership change – it’s now owned by Italian chocolate manufacturers Ferrero.
But when it comes to the crunch of agreeing to continue their Rugby League link, the producers of jam sandwich creams, party rings and the Viennese assortment have continually come good.
Now Nicholas, whose involvement with the Championship club, which has developed a reputation for punching above its financial weight goes back more than 25 years, has confirmed the extension of the valuable partnership.
“Fox’s are a flagship name in Batley, one many people in the town know well, and quite a few work for, and it’s great that they have been with us so long,” he said.
“They also back our foundation (charitable arm), and I think that and the longevity of their association shows they see its value.”
The Bulldogs’ shirt sponsorship deal with K & M Metals is even older, being established in 2010.
The local company are run by the family of former Batley player Stan Whittaker, and several other old boys of the club are now sponsors.
Peter McVeigh (through his electrical firm Status International), Lee Kerr (K2 Mechanical and Electrical Services), Craig Wright (Taylor-Wright Scaffold) and Mick Wilson (painter and decorator) all provide support.
“Their involvement really is welcomed and hopefully the way they have stuck with us says something about the club,” added Nicholas.
The Fox’s Biscuits Stadium staged the annual Heavy Woollen Boxing Day Challenge match between Batley and Dewsbury, with the Bulldogs winning the Roy Powell Trophy 36-16 in front of his wife Helen and children Lewis and Melissa.
