Nottinghamshire-based automotive parts manufacturer Belton Massey has agreed a deal to sponsor the University of Nottingham badminton team. The UoN team will compete in the inaugural season of the National Badminton League (NBL), which is the UK’s first professional league for a sport growing in popularity all over the world. The NBL will see the best players from across Europe take to the court for one of the six competing teams, with matches televised live on Sky.
The sponsorship deal will see Belton Massey branding appear on shirts and courtside boards during UoN’s matches. This will give the manufacturer a chance to substantially raise its profile in International markets, most notably across Asia where badminton and table tennis tussle for the title of the national sport. The fact that Belton Massey Managing Director Toby Massey is an ex-England youth international also helped the deal go through, as he explains:
“I’ve always loved the cut and thrust of Badminton, and a professional league in this country is well overdue. It’s a sport that gave me a lot in terms of fitness and discipline, so I’m very happy to be able to give something back and support the City’s team and their efforts. The fact the series is streamed live and has a massive following in a number of geographical regions that are of particular interest to us is another very good reason to get involved, so the deal makes perfect sense for me both personally and for the business commercially.”
