Local and national businesses have responded to calls to back this year’s Ladies’ English Open at Chart Hills Golf Club – but the event is still seeking a title sponsor.
David Walls, the sales and marketing director for the Leaderboard Group which owns the impressive Kent club, made a heartfelt plea in January for big businesses, predominantly in the south-east of England, to get behind the tournament or risk losing it – and with it a significant loss of revenue and interest in the region.
And those ‘back it or lose it’ words of warning have been largely heeded, with a “significant” amount of investment pledged for the Ladies’ English Open from October 6-8 by a healthy number of national and local companies.
But the event, which last year attracted record crowds of around 25,000 over the three days at Chart Hills and witnessed top Swede Maria Hjorth successfully defend her title at the sublime Nick Faldo-designed course, is still looking for a title sponsor.
Walls said: “The Ladies’ English Open has found a wonderful home in the form of Chart Hills for the last three years and we are looking forward to a long and happy association with the Ladies’ European Tour for many years to come.
“We have built up the event year on year, attracting record numbers to the course to see some of the biggest and best names in ladies’ golf from the UK, Europe and beyond – and we are fully committed to continuing that trend and making the Ladies’ English Open one of the highlights of the golfing calendar.
“But the only way to host any successful, major sporting event is to attract significant financial backing.
“We made an appeal earlier this year to get businesses involved in what is the biggest sporting event in the south-east of England this year – an event which brings visitors and revenue to the region and to Kent – and I’m delighted that we have received sound backing from many areas.
“But we still have an outstanding opportunity for someone to come in and take ownership of the competition by way of title sponsorship. The benefits are invaluable, including mass media coverage on an international scale, access to corporate hospitality and memberships, extensive branding on and off the golf course and a wealth of networking initiatives.
“It’s a fantastic event which is growing in stature every year, and title sponsorship represents fantastic value and involvement in the fastest-growing viewing sport in Europe.”
For more details about sponsorship opportunities at the Ladies’ English Open, please contact David Walls on 01580 292106, e-mail davidw@charthills.co.uk, or visit www.ladiesenglishopen.co.uk.
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