Holroyd City Council has become the foundation partner in the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers’ Local Government Champions program for a modest $25,000 investment.
“From the perspective of Council, we all think this is a really good, solid business decision to jump on to this program this year at the rate that we have,” Cr Grove told WSBA.
“Because momentum’s there for such programs to potentially increase in cost in the future. We’ve made a very strategic decision to get on board before they win the grand final.”
Asked whether there was an element of friendly rivalry with Holroyd’s neighbouring councils, Cr Grove said: “There will be now – I’ll be putting out a Tweet reminding Parramatta Council that we beat them to the punch on their own turf.”
He challenged other western Sydney councils to follow Holroyd’s lead and back the Wanderers.
“Western Sydney councils, particularly while Wanderers are establishing themselves, should take the opportunity to give the club a bit of support, so it can develop its community networks to open a few doors to sustain them into the future,” Cr Grove told WSBA.
Holroyd City Council said in a statement that the partnership would be based on an innovative approach to promoting healthy and active lifestyles to its communities through sponsorship of the new A-League team.
"At the heart of the Wanderers philosophy is our commitment to make a difference and to be a true catalyst for social impact and change for the boys and girls across Western Sydney; while simultaneously providing real socio-economic value to the region in areas including trade, commerce, tourism and infrastructure,” Wanderers’ executive chairman Lyall Gorman said.
As part of the arrangement, the Wanderers will work with Council to help raise awareness of the importance of being fit and healthy to local residents.
“The benefits of the sponsorship deal for Council include support from the club and players for events and initiatives such as CityFest and the Healthy Holroyd program which aims to get residents, especially those with health conditions to live a healthy lifestyle,” Cr Grove said.
“(There’s also) support for other community events and public activities, schools and local sport clubs and teams. This will involve player visits, match tickets, club merchandise and other supportive functions."
Mayor Grove added that Council looked forward to fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with the Wanderers to provide real benefits to Holroyd residents.
“I'm sure the Western Sydney Wanderers will help us unite communities across the City,” he said.
All benefits of the sponsorship arrangement will be passed on to local communities and would not be used for personal gain by Council staff or councillors.
