|
Last Updated: Jan 5th, 2010 - 12:50:06 |
The hierarchy of Eastbourne Eagles have issued a rallying cry to valued sponsors and loyal supporters alike as they continue to put the structure of their much discussed ‘100 CLUB’ in place, the launch of which is taking place in time for the New Year.
The bold experiment, one that the club’s management have high hopes will help to offset the losses endured in recent seasons and put in place a stable base for the Eagles continued longevity, was borne out of an idea by Eastbourne supremo Bob Dugard after he had been approached separately by a number of supporters at the end of season Dinner and Dance each of whom offering financial assistance in support of the forthcoming campaign.
It occurred to Dugard, together with co-promoters Trevor Geer and recent appointee Mike Bellerby that if resources from several potential benefactors could be pooled, then the prolonged existence of the Sussex club, often a subject for conjecture throughout the last twelve months, could well be safeguarded and with such thoughts in mind, the Eagles 100 CLUB was born.
The Eastbourne promotion are ideally seeking 100 separate contributions of £1000 ahead of the 2010 season, 60% of which would be directed towards team matters and the costs involved sustaining a club at Elite League level, the remaining 40% to be set aside in a prize fund, divisions of which shall form three cash sums in a series of twenty draws, exclusive to 100 CLUB members, taking place in corresponding Eastbourne home fixtures throughout the 2010 season.
When fully subscribed, no less than £2000 of the prize fund would be up for grabs virtually on a weekly basis, 1st prize being £1000 with two further awards of £700 and £300, meaning that a fifth of 100 CLUB members stand every chance of winning their initial investment back with the very real prospect of recouping far more besides.
Therefore the Eastbourne management team are urging supporters, whether single or in groups, together with companies, both large and small to step up and try their luck. Not only do they stand every chance of winning substantial cash sums throughout season 2010 but they can also be safe in the knowledge that they are safeguarding the future of the Eagles, the team who celebrated their eightieth anniversary in season 2009, both in the medium and hopefully in the longer term.
Each application of £1000 entitles the participant entry into each of the twenty draws throughout the coming year; applications should be received by January, with the money fully paid up by the 1st of March.
Application forms are available from Shona at Dugard.com tel.no. 01273 732286 e-mail SalesP@dugard.co.uk further details can also be found on the clubs official website http://www.elite-eagles.com
EAGLES INVITE BIDS TO BECOME THE CLUBS MAIN SPONSOR
With the onset of the 2010 Elite League campaign now well underway and the Eastbourne Eagles preparing to officially unveil their 1-7 line up for the battles ahead, the Sussex club, whose eighty years of history was celebrated in season 2009, are stepping up their search for one of the most important components to aid their quest for honours, namely a main team sponsor for the coming year.
In addition to the launch of their 100 CLUB, which club bosses hope will help safeguard the longevity of the Eastbourne Eagles into 2010 and far beyond, further innovative thinking emerging from the Arlington corridors of power involves the introduction of an auction process, the highest bidder of which shall win the honour of being named the Eagles main team sponsor for the entirety of the coming season.
Long time supporters of the Eastbourne cause, Turner Engineering of Newchapel (nr Lingfield), Surrey, have already entered the fray, opening the bidding at £5000.00, a bar which any prospective investor and would be sponsor will have to raise if their company details are yet to adorn the Eagles race suits in 2010.
Supporters and potential sponsors are to be kept fully up to speed with developments, the highest current bid being displayed on the clubs official website http://www.elite-eagles.com
The auction shall continue throughout January, at the end of which time the highest single bid shall identify the identity of the new main team sponsor of the Eastbourne Eagles, a club with one of the richest pedigrees the sport of speedway has to offer, for the year ahead.
Application forms are available from Trevor Geer, 21 Pevensey Road, Polegate, East Sussex BN26 6HJ tel.no. 07876521421 e-mail trevorgeer@o2.co.uk further details can also be found on the clubs official website as detailed above.
EAGLES LOOK FORWARD TO THE SEASON AHEAD
New co-promoter of the Eastbourne Eagles Mike Bellerby is quietly confident that his charges can defy the odds and launch a concerted assault for silverware as the Sussex side prepares to enter not only a new season but a new decade of Elite League speedway.
The Eagles were written off by many at the beginning of the last campaign but they came out fighting and for several months flirted quite seriously in the mix for the play off positions until injury and rider availability started to play a part, seriously denting the Eastbourne aspirations.
If the fan forum’s are to be believed, popular opinion would suggest that the Eagles are in for a tough time of things once again but Bellerby remains steadfast in his view that the team, who last term celebrated 80 years of involvement with the sport, can again feature strongly, while giving the supposed favourites for honours a stern run for their money.
Bellerby, together with fellow co-promoters Bob Dugard and Trevor Geer are delighted with the blend of the side, one they hope to complete soon by adding the name of former Russian Champion Denis Gizatullin, subject to a successful English test, to an impressive, not to mention youthful and cosmopolitan looking line up.
There’s something for everyone, in Matej Zagar as our number one, we have a rider capable of going anywhere and scoring a maximum. In Lukas Dryml we have the ultimate crowd pleaser, certainly around here at Arlington. With regard to Simon Gustafsson and Cameron Woodward we have two of the brightest prospects for Speedway’s future, and similar might be said of Swede Ricky Kling who if he can start 2010 the way he finished 2009, the Eagles will certainly have a prolific scoring reserve on their hands.
Taking over the commentary, Trevor Geer said of the returning Joonas Kylmakorpi, the lad has had a tough time of things in the last few years, what with injuries and the like but I know him well. He stays at my house when he’s in the country and my son Chris is his full time mechanic. I am certain that a return to familiar surroundings will see Joonas back to his best and fulfilling the potential predicted during previous spells with the club.
The Eagles management team sees the acquisition of Gizatullin, a proven performer on the international stage as the final piece of the jigsaw as the countdown to mid March begins and tapes up on the 2010 season starts to loom large.
One change to the Eastbourne set up that has inevitably raised eyebrows along the South Coast and throughout the surrounding counties from which many of the regular Arlington patrons hail is the change of Eagles usual race night from Saturday’s to a Thursday. The Sussex hierarchy remains aware that this has caused consternation among some of their loyal supporters, many of whom travel on a weekly basis from London and the surrounding areas.
“We realise that Thursday nights isn’t going to prove ideal for a number of our fans”, Trevor Geer commented “but believe me this isn’t a decision that we have taken lightly.”
We suffered greatly at times with rider availability, or more correctly non-availability at weekends, not only with our own side but also with visiting team’s arriving here with under-strength complements and of course that can also have a detrimental effect on attendance levels.
The situation became increasingly problematic during the 2009 campaign, not only with Grand Prix to contend with but also the World Team Cup together with qualifiers for this and that and having looked at the international fixture list for the year ahead, especially with the extended Grand Prix series, we honestly feel that this is a measure forced upon us by the sports ever busying calendar.
We are starting our fixtures off on Saturday evening’s for the first few weeks of the season until the Grand Prix start in earnest when we will switch to Thursday evening’s but with a revised start time of 7.45 (first race) which we sincerely hope will provide those with some distance to travel the additional time they need to make it here.
“In addition we feel it is crucial that we can offer the paying customer an attractive and established product and a regular 1-7 riders taking to the track week in, week out is an important part of that strategy” said Geer. “Furthermore, the switch to Thursday’s would also mean an end to weeks at a time without a home fixture”, a factor which has also worked against the Eagles, both off and on track in past seasons.
“As I said, this isn’t a decision we have made without serious consideration and regard for our valued supporters, but I honestly feel it is the way that domestic speedway is going anyway. It seems to me only a matter of time before English fixtures become like Poland and Sweden and are contested on one or two nights over the week. We hope that the supporters appreciate our dilemma and are able to stick with us. We are sure that a consistent team, both in terms of rider availability and results on track, and a regular weekly dose of action will prove their own reward in the long term”
Of course with little more than three months to the big day, the anticipated first meeting at the Arlington raceway being tentatively scheduled for the 20th of March, the club’s management are quick to point out that season tickets can be purchased at 2009 admission prices. Adult tickets that include all the Eagles League and Knock out Cup fixtures (excluding play offs and testimonial meetings) are on sale at £280, Concessions are priced at £240 with child (6 – 15 years) season tickets costing £115
Family season tickets (two adults and two children) are also available at £700
All such tickets include admission to the stadium only (ticket does not include admission to the seated stand and programmes are charged extra at £2) and are available from Shona at Dugard.com tel.no. 01273 732286 e-mail SalesP@dugard.co.uk further details can once again be found on the clubs official website http://www.elite-eagles.com
As a special offer all season ticket applications received by 31st January 2010 will qualify for reduced prices of Adults £265, Concessions £225 and children £100.
© Copyright Worldpeedway.com
Top of Page
|
