Dover Athletic Football Club is delighted to announce it has agreed a new three-year sponsorship deal with Dover-based Megger Group, effective immediately.
Megger, Dover’s third biggest private sector employer, has agreed to support the 39-year old club for three years on a rolling contract for an undisclosed amount.
The agreement is welcomed by the football club, which has battled with results this season and was relegated to National League South in March.
Megger has been looking for the right opportunity to support the town in a substantial way for several months and when the company, that manufactures electrical testing equipment and digital solutions, met club chairman Jim Parmenter, it was an immediate match.
“This is a great investment in a talented and proud football club that is going through change but has a big future,” said Mr Parmenter.
“We are very grateful to Megger for giving us their support and seeing the enormous potential in our wonderful club, that has faced several challenges this season. Our players, coaching and support staff and loyal supporters will be delighted.”
While struggling this season, the club has depth and talent in its playing group, covering the first team, Academy and DAFC’s thriving youth teams. At youth level, the club fields teams in every group from under-13s to under-18s, and this is a successful feeder to the senior team.
The youth teams have notched up notable successes this season, and coaching and mentoring young people is a pillar of the club’s ethos, says Parmenter.
“Megger’s sponsorship also provides funding for community activities that keep many young people in the town focused on sport and nutures a love of football, which of course helps the club and builds our fan base,” he added..
Chief executive of Megger, Jim Fairbairn, said: “We wanted to help the local community and had been searching for the right fit, especially that reflects our own values of people, passion and place. Helping Dover Athletic FC is a perfect match, and ticks all the boxes we wanted. We are committed to a three-year partnership and we expect the deal to be of great mutual benefit to both DAFC and Megger as we promote our brand.”
Fairbairn hopes that more people in Dover and Kent will learn more about what Megger does, and about wider engineering, from the association.
As part of the arrangement, Megger employees will have discounted season and Megger can run corporate hospitality events at the club.
Megger is an international company, with eight production sites and 42 service and sales offices globally, and has manufactured high tech testing products in Dover for 50-years.
The original company was founded in Acton, London in 1889. It has sites in the US, Germany, Sweden and Israel and is acquiring complimentary businesses as part of a five-year growth strategy.
DAFC will play in the National League South in the 2022/23 season.
Manager Andy Hessenthaler said he was delighted that the club’s immediate future was assured and that the National League South is a level the club will be able to compete at.