Haleys Business Advisers are to continue their involvement with Preston Grasshoppers RFC as main shirt sponsors for a second season. Following a successful year for both parties, on and off the pitch, Haleys has committed to continue with the sponsorship.
Based at Whitestake, Haleys provide financial, taxation and commercial expertise primarily to owner managed SMEs. Somewhat unusually the Company’s mission statement also includes, ‘helping client’s to live life to the full’, and the team at Haleys follow their own advice, looking to find the right balance between business success and life outside of the office. As Haleys MD, Tim Haley, says, ‘Very often our clients run successful businesses but they seem to have hit a wall. By helping clients to run businesses that are less dependent on the owners, they can make them more profitable, hugely more valuable and achieve a better work-life balance. This is why we have strong relationships with our clients and our advice goes beyond traditional financial and accounting services.’
Haleys Director Michael Lucas, 1st XV Captain John Peterson and Managing Director Tim Haley
Preston Grasshoppers RFC is a successful and professionally run business. It is open seven days a week and plays an important role in the local community. It offers a range of sports facilities besides rugby including squash, archery, cycling, cricket and shooting. There are function rooms that can be used for business as well as social events and the Club has excellent catering facilities providing food that wouldn’t be out of place in a high-end restaurant. The club’s success has been recognised by the RFU, which is investing around £800,000 in a new 4G all weather pitch. Work started on the new pitch on the 5th September.
Preston Grasshoppers 1st XV home kit sponsored by Haleys Business Advisers
Tim Haley has been involved with the club since 1978. Having moved to Preston as a student he joined Hoppers and played at the Club for over 30 years, just hanging up his boots in 2009. More recently Tim’s son, Mike Haley, played for Hoppers having moved up the ranks from juniors to the first X1 and made his first XV debut at aged just 17. Mike signed a professional contract in 2012 with Sale Sharks and over the last two seasons has been the starting full back. Mike was selected for the England Saxons tour to South Africa in June 2016 in a winning two-test series. As a result of his strong performance, Eddie Jones has selected Mike for the provisional England EPS squad.
Haleys are a founder member of the Hoppers Business Network (HBN) which evolved when a number of businesses that were supporters or sponsors of the Club formalised their association into a business group. HBN holds networking events at the Club, welcoming other local businesses and entrepreneurs who can become involved with Hoppers or do business with other HBN members in a friendly and informal environment.
Preston Grasshoppers 1st XV away kit sponsored by Haleys Business Advisers
‘Businesses need to think hard about how they spend their marketing budgets and we can’t say enough about the value we get from our association with the Club,’ says Tim Haley. ‘We’ve all done business networking events, with a handful of business cards and a room full of people on a mission. A lot of us just aren’t comfortable in those situations. At Hoppers we have spoken with like-minded people across a range of businesses in a relaxed environment where business seems to happen naturally.’
Haleys also sponsors the Hoppers Beer Festival, Hopfest, which is now an established annual event which grows in size and popularity each year.
‘The team at Haleys wish everyone involved with Hoppers a successful season. We really are proud to be associated with such a dynamic and community-minded club,’ says Tim Haley.
Hoppers finished a credible ninth (National League Division Two) at the end of the 2015 season. They won their first match of the 2016/17 season away at Wharfdale. The local derby against Sedgley Park took place on Saturday 10th and was a closely fought match. The final scoreline was Preston Grasshoppers 22 – Sedgley Park 33.
Picture at top of page –
Packing down with hoppers 1st XV players John Peterson, Billy Woof and Oga Mabaya are from left to right:
Flanker Michael Lucas, director
Second Row Phil Hartley, corporate tax manager
Second row Tim Haley, MD
Flanker Martin Cuerden, client manager
Scrum half Andrew Davis, senior client manager
