Our MD Sam talks about his life-long association with our local rugby club and our sponsorship of it.
As a young boy I enjoyed helping behind the bar collecting and washing glasses in return for free glasses of Coke and Hickory Smoked peanuts! That was a great deal (at the time)! A highlight was being able to take my Dad a pint of shandy to enjoy while wallowing in the old, huge bath (banned these days!) whilst chatting to his team mates. Ever keen to be “one of the lads” despite still being at primary school, I was initiated in lifelong skills (although some entirely useless) such as 3 coin spoof by the likes of Carl Green and Andy Lister. Luckily my Dad was always on hand to pick up the tab for my round of beers when I lost, which was often. Even in those days, I was aware of the friendliness and warmth of the club members – the welcoming atmosphere, people looking out for one another and just a great sense of togetherness/belonging.
As time went on, I got more involved behind the bar (although I won’t document here when I started to serve pints!) and began playing rugby in the Under 10’s. My primary school headmistress had suggested to my parents that it would be a good idea to get their overactive son into sport – “that boy needs to burn some energy”! I played throughout the youth sides, captained the Colts and then played for the 1st XV. Sadly, in my early twenties, I suffered multiple serious ankle injuries and, despite surgery, the weakness continued at which point I decided to stop playing. So that, as they say, is the backstory to how our relationship with BSRFC started but the connections between our staff, our clients and the Club are many.
In terms of sponsorship, it all started during a conversation with the late Paul Maxfield who, at the time, oversaw sponsorship and was fundamental to laying the foundations of the success it has become. Paul knew I had started Bit Solutions and wondered if I would like to become a sponsor. I think we started with sponsoring the socks (our business was much smaller at the time!) but we moved on to the back of the shorts and, since 2016, have been on the 1st XV shirts. Being involved from another angle rekindled my relationship with the Club and, as sponsors, we have never looked back.
There are many great synergies between BSRFC and Bit Solutions because, since the beginning of our relationship, both organisations have grown and flourished which has allowed our Company to increase our support over the years. Apart from the financial support, we do a lot behind the scenes. This is wide ranging but, to name a few, we have given equipment to the Club (such as the 4th official tablet used during matches), we have maintained the IT network, sponsored the membership/point of sale cards and co-funded, along with Westbury Garden Rooms and Club Stortford, the purchase of the GPS tracking system for the 1st XV squad. I’m certainly very glad that, in my day, our coach couldn’t measure how many metres I had sprinted during a game! We are about to embark on a big modernisation programme for the Club, including the implementation of Microsoft 365 for club officials.
BSRFC is an amazing community club that consists of a diverse mix of interesting people of all ages, genders and ethnicities. It provides the town with not only a venue to play rugby but, equally important, a place where you are welcomed and encouraged to get involved in whatever capacity you wish. There is a huge number of volunteers who make so much happen and we like to support them as best as we can. Over the years, the Club has become very much woven into the fabric of our local society – whether that be people playing the game, all the hundreds of supporters who turn up to watch and also other partnerships, such as local schools and developing rugby within the community.
From a purely business perspective, there is a huge, active group of local businesses and sponsors involved which is a testament to the hard work put in by Paul Maxfield and Julie North. I can’t imagine where else in the locality you would meet such a great collection of local companies and likeminded people.
This season, 2022/23, along with many other local thriving companies, we have expanded our sponsorship of the Club and feel honoured to do so. If you have known Bit Solutions over the years, hopefully you will notice our new brand and logo, which now appears on the 1st XV and 2nd XV shirts as well as the pitch boards and the scoreboard. I hope, and have faith that, over the coming season, BSRFC will continue their recent successes and Bit Solutions will do likewise.
If working with experts who also care about their community is important to you, please give our team a call.
