Member Article

Derby County Ladies Football Club proudly announces Pattonair as new Academy Partner

One of Derbyshire’s most successful companies has thrown its support behind women’s football in the county.

Pattonair, the aerospace and defence industry’s leading global supply chain service provider, has agreed to become a partner of Derby County Ladies’ Football Club – and the club’s under-16s team will wear Pattonair’s name on its shirts for the 2019/20 season. The news is a boost for women’s football locally at a time when interest in the sport is at an all-time high, following the success of the England Lionesses in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

It is also a further underscoring of Pattonair’s backing for sport in the region. Earlier this year it signed a deal to become principal partner of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, with the club’s home being renamed the Pattonair County Ground.

Pattonair’s support of Derby County Ladies will help the ‘Ewe Rams’, as the club is nicknamed, develop talent and assist the careers of budding sportswomen.

Wayne Hollinshead, Chief Executive of Pattonair, said of the link-up: “We are really pleased to be teaming up with Derby County Ladies FC for the season ahead.

“It’s impossible to ignore the buzz there has been following the FIFA Women’s World Cup. It has been capturing the imagination of the country and, more importantly, is inspiring young girls into the sport.

“This is something that the DCLFC academy programmes do – they champion the women’s game and open the doors for young girls with ambitions to play professionally. We are proud to be a part of this process.”

Headquartered in Derby, where it employs 600 staff, Pattonair operates a global service though facilities in the UK, Singapore, China, Poland, Brazil, France, Italy, Canada and the USA and counts household names like Rolls Royce amongst its customers. DCLFC chief executive Duncan Gibb is delighted to have a company of Pattonair’s stature involved with the club.

“We are thrilled to have Pattonair join us. Bringing another partner on board and adding to the Ewe Rams family is more welcome news and demonstrates that more global companies are seeing the potential in local sporting endeavours,” he said.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Ford .