It has been recently revealed that R W Crawford Ltd (Crawfords), the specialised provider of Isuzu vehicles and agricultural machinery, has put its best foot forward in the world of non-league football, with the Sussex branch of Crawfords becoming the main sponsor of the Billinghurst Football Club third team.
The sponsorship of the team, which commenced in July 2022, will run initially for the upcoming season, with plans for the partnership to extend if successful. Crawfords’ patronage has already been allocated to purchasing a new home and away team kit, tracksuits, and polo shirts with front-of-shirt sponsorship. The partnership will also provide advertising pitch side banners as well as social media promotions, which will be ongoing throughout the season.
R W Crawford, which was established by Bob Crawford in 1980 as a farm machinery dealership in Essex, has since evolved into a much larger company consisting of four locations across the south of England. Crawfords has also expanded its range of products since opening, adopting the Isuzu franchise in 2014 with dedicated Isuzu staff members on multiple sites.
Billingshurst FC, based in West Sussex, was established in 1891 and is currently running three senior sides and a thriving youth section with teams running from Under 8’s right through to U16s. The Billinghurst FC third team, managed by Paul Evans-Cornish, are a non-league team that plays in the Brickability West Sussex Football League Division 2 North. With home ground Jubilee Fields on the same road as the Crawfords’ Sussex branch, it is safe to assume that they are looking forward to supporting the non-league club and getting actively involved throughout the duration of the sponsorship.
Brand Director at Isuzu UK, Alan Able, said: “With Isuzu UK striving to become the driving force behind non-league football, it is no surprise that members of the Isuzu dealer network, like Crawfords, are actively contributing to the betterment of their local non-league clubs. This dealer’s participation is reflective of Isuzu UK’s aim of drawing attention towards passionate, local clubs throughout the period of our multi-year sponsorship deal with The FA.”
Hannah Kelsey, Group Marketing Manager at Crawfords, said: “Our partnership with Billinghurst Football Club is really exciting. Becoming the main sponsor of the third team allows us to give something back to the local community by supporting non-league football. This falls in line with the recent announcement regarding Isuzu UK’s title sponsorship of England’s two leading non-league competitions. We are proud to be a sponsor of the club and look forward to a great 2022/23 season.”