CareCo enters sport with Manor Park Walking Rugby sponsorship

CareCo has partnered with Manor Park Walking Rugby Team in the mobility retailer’s first sports sponsorship, giving the company a community presence in an inclusive sport that matches its focus on independence and mobility, with the new match kit unveiled in the squad’s 7-5 victory over Earlsdon Amblers. Walking rugby is a variant of the game designed so people of different abilities, ages and accessibility needs can play competitively.

The kit, showing CareCo’s colours, was designed in-house by the CareCo team.

CareCo is a UK mobility retailer, part of the Mobilitas Group and registered at Great Notley, Braintree, Essex, which opened its first showroom in Brentwood in 2014 and now operates 41 showrooms. It was founded by Will Harrison and does not publicly disclose turnover.

Manor Park Walking Rugby is the walking rugby section of Manor Park RFC, a grassroots club established in 1960 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Its players are volunteers who pay a small subscription for every game and training session.

Will Harrison, founder of CareCo, said the company tries to offer relevant regional support where it can, that walking rugby is growing and playing a small part in that journey is an honour, and that the team felt close to Manor Park because Coventry showroom manager Dean Stringer plays for it.

David Brindley, who plays for the club, said the support means a lot to a team of unpaid volunteers with no steady income, and that matching kit and sponsorship builds team confidence.

Stringer said the sponsorship is a massive opportunity to promote walking rugby and the brand, and gives the team an identity rather than turning up in mismatched bibs.

The link is personal as much as commercial, and it follows growth for the retailer: CareCo opened its 41st showroom in Swindon on 16 October, according to THIIS Magazine.

Earlsdon Amblers, the opposition, are an over-50s side that trains free every Tuesday in Coventry, according to WalkingSports.com.

For the sector, the sponsorship shows a retailer entering sport through an inclusive format that matches its product focus and a staff member’s own club, rather than a conventional high-profile property.

Source: THIIS Magazine / WalkingSports.com / Manor Park RFC