A syndicate run by Northampton Saints supporters to provide player sponsorship is nearing £50,000 raised to benefit the Club.
It was seven years ago when Saints supporter Kirstie Blencowe called out to fellow members of the ‘Saints Sinners’ Facebook group she administrates to chip in £10 towards a pool to sponsor one of the men in Black, Green and Gold.
Current senior star Ollie Sleightholme was amongst the first three players who were sponsored by the Saints Sinners syndicate ahead of the 2018/19 season. Then an Academy player, the winger has gone on to become one of the Gallagher Premiership’s most lethal try-scorers, and this summer earned his first senior England caps.
The 24-year-old remains sponsored by Saints Sinners into the 2024/25 campaign alongside Jake Garside, Archie McParland, Robbie Smith, Will Glister, Craig Wright, Sonny Tongaʻuiha, Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, George Makepeace-Cubbitt and Fyn Brown.
This season’s record number of players backed by the syndicate takes their total number of Saintsmen supported over seven years to 46.
“Many average fans cannot afford to sponsor a player or buy a signed shirt in an auction,” said Kirstie. “I used to be quite heavily into horse racing and they syndicate sponsor horses with everyone chipping in money to buy a horse. That inspired me as it lent itself well to this situation.
“£10 is an affordable level for most people and from that, the benefits for being a player sponsor are essentially raffled off to the syndicate members.
“It was just a wild idea and it has worked really well. In our first year we sponsored three players including Ollie seven years ago, and we have retained him ever since. We call it the ‘Ollie fund’ now because everyone was desperate to keep him!”
Kirstie Blencowe, Saints Sinners
Alongside providing supporters with a low buy-in opportunity to receive some incredible memorabilia and experiences, the syndicate has also allowed members to gain a stronger connection with players who are progressing through the ranks at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
“We don’t have the Wanderers games any more, so we are helping to bring these young lads to the attention of the average supporter,” added Kirstie, a Season Ticket Holder at Saints for 17 years.
“We try and follow the players wherever we can when they go out on loan and find out how well they did. People get a feel of growing with a player, like they have with Ollie. We’ve had Jake for three or four years too. Once we get hold of them we try and keep as many of them as we can.
“We’ve had feedback from the players and they really appreciate what we do as well.”
James Wootton, Head of Sales and Events at Northampton Saints, added: “We feel blessed to have such a loyal fanbase here at Saints, and the player sponsorship syndicate is something that has continued to grow year-on-year.
“Not only does it provide welcome revenue for the Club, it also strengthens the bond between supporters and players, as proven by the long-standing commitment to last season’s top Premiership try-scorer; Ollie Sleightholme.”
Anybody wishing to join the syndicate can do so by joining the Saints Sinners Facebook group.
For more information about Player Sponsorship opportunities at Northampton Saints, please click HERE.
