GRS extend sponsorship of community pitch at Northampton Town
Construction solutions firm GRS have extended their partnership with Northampton Town Football Club by continuing their sponsorship of the GRS Community Pitch at Sixfields for a further 12 months.
The pitch was officially opened in November 2023, and was the club’s prize for winning the More Than Football Award in 2022. The More Than Football award honours the best social initiatives in Europe delivered by a European Club, League or FA by celebrating the work they do on and off the pitch on a local, national and international level.
The Cobblers beat the likes of FC Twente, Newcastle United and Athletic Club de Bilbao to win the award for the Northampton Town Tackling Loneliness project which ran during the Covid pandemic.
Club Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: "We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with GRS for a number of years now. They constructed the award winning LCS Stand of course, which has been universally recognised as a fantastic addition to both the facilities at Sixfields and the club's infrastructure, and they have sponsored the community pitch for the last couple of years, so to have them extend that sponsorship is fantastic.
"From working closely together, we know how important the local community is to GRS and that is a value shared with both the club and the Northampton Town Community Trust. To have their name on the GRS Community Pitch is a perfect fit.
"We know thousands of people use the facility each year which acts as a permanent reminder of the way the club reached out to support the community during the difficult days of lockdown.
"Our figures show that almost 2,300 people use the pitch on a matchday throughout the season as part of their visit, an additional 1,400 people use the pitch as part of one of our delivered sessions on a non matchday, but countless more use the pitch day in, day out under their own initiative, and that's the beauty of this facility, it really is used by and for the whole community."
CEO of Northampton Town FC Community Trust, Phill Smith added: "We would like to thank GRS for their continued support of the pitch and our community work. The GRS Community Pitch is used in many varied and extensive ways, for example on home matchdays, for deaf football sessions, stadium tours, the Holiday Activity Fund, Takeover Days and for the general public to use and has had a big and lasting impact on both the matchday experience for younger supporters and in terms of offering people of all ages and backgrounds within the community a place to play.
"We always have a feeling of pride whenever we look across and see the pitch being used at all days and times of the week. It has become a real hub of activity for the local community."
GRS Chief Executive Jon Fisher said: "We're pleased to extend our sponsorship of Northampton Town's community pitch - it's great to see how much use it gets throughout the year, adding real, tangible social value for the local community. We've been a long-time advocate of team sports at all levels and - having completed the work on the LCS East Stand last year - where better to provide support than here in Northamptonshire where we have a strong local presence."
From high-volume aggregates for major infrastructure projects to the widest range of decorative landscaping products, GRS delivers sustainable supply chain solutions to the UK construction industry. Besides handling around 20 million tonnes of materials every year, the company is a trusted service provider of building and contracting, waste and recycling, and integrated bulk freight via road as well as lower-carbon rail and water. For details visit grs-group.co.uk.