Sponsorship Proposal 2002

Table of Contents
Contact Details	If you need to discuss things further...
Club Development	Past, present and future - for those not familiar with us...
Our Offer	What you will get for your money...
The Packages	Let's talk turkey...
Carrickfergus Cricket Club, established in 1868, was a founder member of the Northern Cricket Union and remains one of the oldest surviving clubs in Ireland. Despite this longevity and pedigree, the Club has had a difficult history having, unbelievably, led an almost nomadic existence for more than 100 years. It was not until the mid-1980's that we began to fully realise the potential for the game of cricket in Carrickfergus by implementing a development plan which saw the opening of the ground and clubhouse at Middle Road in 1988. With our own premises in a rapidly developing part of the town, the social membership of the Club expanded rapidly and, by 1993, we were in a position to add a two-storey extension with purpose-built changing facilities and an enlarged lounge bar with viewing balcony. Even a fire, which caused significant damage to the Club at the beginning of the 1998 season, did not stifle the dynamic spirit of development at the Club and fully refurbished premises were operational within a matter of weeks. The Club's First XI is well established in Section Two of the Senior League and we are one of the few clubs in Ireland capable of fielding five Saturday teams. The square at Middle Road is regarded as one of the best in local cricket and our facilities in general are the envy of any club in local cricket. We have hosted inter-provincial youth matches and each June we stage the prestigious Graham Cup Final for Under 15 boys' teams. This year we have been honoured with the opportunity of hosting one of the fixtures from the upcoming European Cricket Championships. With a highly respected reputation within Northern Irish Cricket, enviable facilities and sound finances, we might be excused for relaxing our efforts. The development, however, continues. We have recently completed further, major drainage works to the outfield, our current ground extension is well advanced and newly-installed, purpose-built outdoor practice facilities were used for the first time last season. We have a clearly defined strategy in place for further development which, when fully implemented, will put Carrickfergus Cricket Club at the very vanguard of cricket development in Ireland. Our priority is, as it always has been, the promotion and development of the game of cricket, particularly at youth level, and it is our ambition to establish our Club as a centre of cricket excellence within East Antrim. We have an active strategy which will see a second ground established at our Middle Road site. We have commissioned architectural plans for a further extension to the existing clubhouse. The entire ground floor will be devoted to playing facilities with a changing area adequate for a two-ground complex and, perhaps more excitingly, indoor nets within a multi-purpose sports hall, allowing for year-round practice and training. Throughout our development at Middle Road, we have never lost sight of the importance of our social membership both as a means of building our sense of community and as a major source of income to help drive our ambitious objectives for the sport of cricket. Carrickfergus Cricket Club is a mutual business as well as a cricket-playing organisation. Both aspects of the club are now inseparable and dependent upon each other. Our development strategy reflects this relationship with our current plans including an extended lounge bar, function room and viewing facilities both internal and external.