We are very proud to announce that we are the new kit sponsors of Harrogate Gateway Football Club! We’ve provided them with a brand-new first team kit, with outfield players in yellow and the goalkeeper in purple.
The new kit will see Harrogate Gateway compete for one of the top spots in the West Riding Ability Counts League, and it has already been debuted at a fixture in Halifax a few weeks ago.
Harrogate Gateway is our local disability football club and was established in 1995 to provide a place for adults with learning disabilities to go and play football regardless of their ability and skill level. They currently have over 40 players across three teams whose ages range between 18 and 63 years-old. The team operates under the Harrogate and District Mencap Society, and they play once a month all over the county.
The idea of kit sponsorship was originally brought up by our retail advisor Gary, who said:
“I’ve coached local junior teams before and volunteered at disability football tournaments, so I know how special it is for a team to get a new kit. I thought it would be a great idea for Yorkshire Care to provide Harrogate Gateway’s new kit because of all the work we do with disability equipment and such. Plus, it’s a wonderful way to give back to our community and support our local team!”
Yorkshire Care’s Gary Hornsby-Shawe presenting the new kit to players James Parker, Edward Black, Luke Messenger, and coach David Parker
Harrogate Gateway also hoists a disability football tournament every July, with over 80 teams taking part from all over the UK. It has now become one of the biggest disability football tournaments in the country.
Harrogate Gateway’s manager, Mark Summers, said:
“Harrogate Gateway FC is dedicated to the development and provision of football from disabled people in the Harrogate area. We want to encourage participation regardless of ability levels and we want to provide an opportunity for everyone to play at a level that suits them.
“We debuted the new kit provided by Yorkshire Care Equipment a couple of weeks back at a game in Halifax — it looked very smart! The players were thrilled to bits and it certainly seemed to up their game.”
Harrogate Gateway is a volunteer-run team, and they hold training sessions every Tuesday evening at St Aidan’s High School on Oatlands Drive. They encourage new players to come along and have a kickabout. The club regularly have players called up to play for regional and national teams, and two of their squad even travelled to Switzerland last year to represent the Mencap National Squad in the European Championships!
Yorkshire Care Equipment is proud to sponsor Harrogate Gateway FC, and we’ll be eagerly following their progress this season with the hopes of seeing them lift a trophy!
Graeme has worked alongside the public sector for much of his working life, helping departments improve efficiencies and deliver on projects. In his role at Vivid.Care, Graeme used his experience to tackle some of the most challenging issues in the healthcare sector, from falls through to winter pressures. He was also a guest speaker and a number of different conferences, including at the Falls Prevention Summit in London.
