Gatehouse Bank has announced the launch of a community sports fund which aims to support local, grassroots sports teams including one based in Hornchurch.

The initiative entails a one-year partnership with five sports teams who will be supplied with new sports kits. All teams were nominated by colleagues across Gatehouse Bank and are based in communities local to the Bank’s colleagues and offices. The selected sports team in the area is the Tigers Junior Football Club.

The Tigers Junior Football Club is an FA Standard Community Club with both male and female teams between the ages of seven and 18. The club’s committee members, managers and coaches work on a voluntary basis and are dedicated to cultivating a safe and fun environment for the young athletes to enjoy playing football.

Also to receive sponsorship are the MK United Cobras and MK United U15s Blues, based in Milton Keynes, Hurdsfield Phoenix Vipers, based in Macclesfield and Match Point Tennis Coaching, based in Kent.

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Gatehouse Bank’s community sports fund is in addition to its three-year sponsorship agreement with community sports club, Hyderi Sports Association (HSA), which was announced in December 2023. Through this partnership, Gatehouse has provided sports kits for HSA’s members and facilitated the team’s attendance in sports tournaments, including the Unity Games held in Dubai.

Liz Sweeney, Community Manager at Gatehouse Bank, commented: “Following a successful ongoing partnership with Hyderi Sports Association, we are thrilled to be able to extend our support to more local sports clubs.

“As a Shariah-compliant, ethical Bank and a founding signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Banking, supporting our local communities is not only one of our key values, but is at the core of everything we do.

“We hope that the sports kits provided will help empower the young athletes to continue performing to the best of their abilities and we look forward to cheering them on at upcoming games and tournaments.”

Wayne Freeman, Coach of Tigers Junior Football Club, said: “We’re really pleased to be one of the teams to receive brand new sports kits thanks to Gatehouse Bank and can’t wait to see the young people wearing them in our upcoming games and practice sessions. We want all our young players to have a really positive experience at football training and getting these new kits has certainly put a smile on their faces!”

To find out more about Tigers Junior Football Club, visit the website here: https://www.tigersjfc.com/