STATS Group has signed a three year sponsorship with Inverurie Loco Works FC’s Youth Academy which will support the development of the club’s Under-18s and Under-21s squads.
STATS has supported the “Locos” informally over the last decade but this substantial commitment will provide greater stability for the “lifeblood” of the Highland League side.
STATS, which employs 165 staff at its Kintore headquarters and is an international leader in pipeline intervention and integrity services, shares a strong commitment with the football club in the development of young talent.
Since the company was founded 28 years ago, more than 150 apprentices and graduates have begun their careers with STATS, many progressing into senior engineering, management and international leadership roles.
Similarly, Loco’s youth development model focusses on nurturing young players who will progress to higher levels of the game while strengthening the Harlaw Park club’s own playing squad.
The three-year agreement assures continuity for Locos in supporting the sustainable development of the youth squads and echoes STATS’ wider commitment to supporting community groups and local partnerships in the north-east.
Inverurie Loco Works FC chairman, Mike Macaulay, said: “We are delighted to announce a new three-season sponsorship deal for our Youth Academy with STATS Group. The Youth Academy is a fundamental part of the club which was set up to capture local players who might otherwise leave the area, and to support those who have the determination and talent to move through the squads to the first team.
“With STATS Group, we have a trusted partner who values the development of youth through their apprentice and graduate schemes, therefore this is an excellent partnership for both organisations and one we wish to develop further.”
Derek Smart, Marly Webster, Harry Brudnell, Dean Donaldson, Zack Ellis, Clarke Whyte, Mike Macaulay
Locos currently have 32 players playing across both youth squads and the club ambition is to promote four to six players per season through to the first team squad. In addition to feeding into the senior team, in recent years a number of former players have gone on to play at higher levels in the Scottish leagues.
Mike Macaulay added: “Running a football club in the current climate is financially challenging, with less than 20% of annual running costs being provided by gate receipts. It is vitally important that we develop our own players to reduce the pressure of having to recruit externally and to pay transfer fees.
“Forging long-term partnerships with companies like STATS Group goes a long way to addressing those challenges and the shared values of both organisations was a major attraction in formalising this sponsorship agreement.”
STATS Group’s Director of QHSE & HR, Derek Smart, a long time supporter of Locos, said: “Inverurie Locos is synonymous with Aberdeenshire and while the club creates valuable football pathways for young people, STATS has a long tradition of creating meaningful career pathways and supporting future generations.
“This is much more than a commercial arrangement and the true value for us as a local employer is in being able to support an organisation that invests in and nurtures home grown talent, and more widely in supporting the communities where our employees live and work.
“Many of our Kintore staff will have some kind of relationship with or fondness for the Locos and we hope that in addition to helping finance the Youth Academy there might even be an uptick in match attendances!”