Hornets and TBD parade League One trophy

Rochdale Hornets took a tour of local businesses showing off the League One trophy during a two day event on Wednesday and Thursday.

Rochdale Hornets' new CEO Adam Bates and centre Michael Ratu paraded the silverware and also took along the Law Cup which they won against rivals Oldham RLFC during pre-season.

TBD Chartered Accountants has been a partner of the club for many years, and Katie Bowmer, TBD’s sales and marketing director, joined the club’s two representatives, as they visited Phil Corns Architectural Services, Hanson Springs, Molesworths Bright Clegg, Anthony K Associates, Nudge Zumba, Gainz Kitchen and Walk Right Podiatry.

Phil Corns of Phil Corns Architectural Services, said: "We are very proud to support our local mighty Hornets in their promotion year, and look forward to some great games this season.”

Kerry Hargreaves, Molesworths practice manager, said “Molesworths is proud to be linked with Rochdale Hornets, who are in a league of their own. We wish them every success on their journey onwards and upwards.”

Rebecca Schofield, Walk Right Podiatry said of the tour: “It was great to share in Rochdale Hornets success on their trophy tour. A champion team to be proud of. Good luck for this season we will all be supporting you.”

Day two saw the trio visit Rochdale’s physio Alison Cooney before calling in at Sports Physio UK.

Hornets won the trophy in September 2016 when they defied all odds by overcoming Toulouse Olympique in France to gain promotion to the Championship, fighting back from 16-0 down to run-out eventual winners 24-22.

Adam Bates was delighted with the event and feels it is vital that his club interact with local business within the community, as well as celebrating their triumph in the South of France.

He said: “There is obviously a great deal of value in working alongside local businesses throughout the town, but we are very proud of our achievements from the 2016 season and were keen to get out there and share our success with community.

“If by using the Hornets brand, businesses get some extra publicity, and we can get out there and show off our club to new audiences, then it’s been a worthwhile tour in my opinion.”

When the tour was announced there was plenty of interest from new and existing partners of the club, and he is keen to get back out into the community with similar events in the future.

He added: “The take up from businesses has been brilliant.

“As expected, businesses that we work with on a weekly basis have taken us up on the offer, as have some of our seasonal sponsors.

“We’ve also had some new businesses that joined the tour which was great, and they are keen to stay in touch to see how we can work together in the future.

“After the success of this tour, I’d like to think we could replicate it and maybe look to include some other sections of the community such as voluntary groups and charities.

“We are currently working on the development of a Hornets Business Ambassador programme, so there will be plenty of opportunities for local businesses to jump on board with the Hornets.”

One positive of the tour for the Hornets is the promotion of the club’s fast approaching league season, as they kick-off their Championship campaign at home to Dewsbury Rams on Sunday.

Bates is hopeful that their two day tour will boost numbers on the turnstiles as they look to start 2017 with a bang at the Crown Oil Arena.

He said: “The early indication is that local businesses are taking us up on the offer of match day tickets.

“We are working closely with them to provide regular updates for their staff in a hope that local businesses and their employees buy in to what we’re trying to achieve at Hornets.

“With the offer of Championship rugby league being played in the town we believe we can offer a superb match day experience for all of our fans old and new.

“I would highly recommend coming down on a match day to give the guys your support, as it is very much appreciated and will spur them on to do some great things this season.”

Katie Bowmer, who represented TBD, was proud to be involved in the event and insisted that her company will continue to help promote the club to the local community.

She said: “The tour has been extremely successful.

“We’ve had a great couple of days taking the trophies around some fantastic companies. From Middleton to Milnrow it’s really great to share in the Hornets success and we should continue to support and shout about those good news stories that do happen in the borough.

“TBD Chartered Accountants have been linked with Rochdale Hornets for a number of years now and we will continue to help promote and support such a fantastic club with a heritage that is engrained within the heart of the Rochdale community.”

She also echoed Adam Bate’s thoughts of the importance of engaging within the local community as they celebrate each other’s success, and was intrigued by Mike Ratu’s speech to the businesses they visited as he explained the feeling of defeating Toulouse.

She added: “It is so important that local businesses can engage with and enjoy the success of other local organisations,.

“Celebrating in each other’s success can only be a positive step in bringing back Rochdale pride.

“The TBD Trophy Tour has allowed local companies to engage with the club and we hope that others will join in too whether that be via sponsorship, hospitality, or simply coming along to watch some games with the family.

“Mike spoke to the businesses on the tour about how the players had a feeling of confidence and calm before the big game and that against all odds and all the doubts, it’s always possible to win if you dig in and believe. Something that business owners alike can relate to I’m sure.”

Hornets' season kick-offs at 3.00pm on Sunday as they entertain Dewsbury at the Crown Oil Arena.

Prices are £15 for adults, £12 concessions and £5 for juniors, with season tickets also still available for the Kingstone Press Championship campaign.