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The 2010 Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards are open for entries.
There are five different categories and 14 cash prizes totalling £110k, plus a package of valuable professional services to be won.
Wolves are delighted to announce a major two-year club sponsorship deal with Sportingbet.com, one of the world's leading online gaming companies. The deal, commencing in June 2009, is worth over seven figures and represents the biggest sponsorship agreement in Wolves' 132-year history. Sportingbet.com has secured an extensive portfolio of Wolves' rights. Its distinctive brand will appear on Wolves' new home and away shirts and on all technical training kit. Sportingbet.com will have a major brand presence at Molineux Stadium, as well as becoming the club's official betting partner. Sportingbet.com will also sponsor Wolves' official website - www.wolves.co.uk - one of the most popular football club websites in the country.
Football dominates Sportingbet.com's business representing 65% of the group's total sports betting revenue and it accepts over 42 million football bets each year. Wolves CEO Jez Moxey said: "We're proud to announce Sportingbet.com as our new main club sponsor. We are delighted to have secured a partner with a global presence and a leader in online gaming. The Sportingbet.com team are passionate about football which makes them the perfect fit for our club and for our loyal fans." Andy McIver, Sportingbet.com Chief Executive, believes there are plenty of shared qualities between the company and Wolves. He said: "Sportingbet.com is delighted to be associated with such a well known and successful club as Wolves. We share a common heritage of passion, skill and teamwork which I believe offers the basis of a great partnership. Football is the bedrock of our business and we look forward to working closely together." The new sponsorship agreement was revealed in front of a large gathering of media and local dignitaries in Molineux's International Suite.
Sportingbet.com will be taking over from Chaucer Consulting after their five years of successful sponsorship of Wolves. Jez paid tribute to Chaucer, who will remain as sponsor until the end of the season and maintain a commercial relationship with the club. Chaucer is owned by Wolves' director Bob Laslett. Jez added: "I'd like to place on record the club's sincere thanks to Bob, Global CEO of Chaucer Consulting, for Chaucer's fantastic club sponsorship of Wolves over the past five years. We're looking forward to continuing our excellent commercial partnership with Chaucer Consulting into next season and beyond."
Hundreds Of Kids Set To Benefit From New Study Centre
Five hundred youngsters from forty local Wolverhampton schools will soon experience a new state-of-the-art facility.
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC has been working alongside Wolverhampton City Council's 'Playing for Success' programme for many years to give young people the opportunity for additional learning activities in a vibrant, exciting and stimulating study centre.
The centre originally started life in the Stan Cullis Stand and has now been relocated to a room, twice the size of the old one, at the rear of the Jack Harris Stand at Molineux. Wolves' Chairman Steve Morgan and the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Christine Mills officially opened the new facility on Thursday.
Wolves in the Community Development Manager, Andy Morgan, commented: "Moving to the bigger venue means additional learning systems can be accommodated, such as a second projector and screen within the dedicated chill out zone. Wii consoles and other game consoles can be linked to this screen which gives PfS the opportunity to offer students the chance to participate in fun activities like the Wii "fit" game."
Playing for Success (PfS) is a partnership between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), local authorities and a broad range of sports groups. The PfS programme makes a significant contribution to out-of-hours study support provision for children and young people.
Outside of supporting the Pfs programme, Wolves in the Community, who are officially sponsored by Birmingham Midshires, will be working alongside PfS, City of Wolverhampton College and University of Wolverhampton staff to devise and deliver a range of education programmes during the daytime slots available at the new centre.
The winners of The 2008 Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards were announced last November at a glittering awards ceremony at Carden Park Hotel near Chester.
Sponsored by Barclays Commercial Bank for the second year running, the Awards are designed to find a generation of role models. Initially created to encourage entrepreneurs in the North West, in 2008 the Awards were extended to the Wolverhampton area and new categories were introduced. In addition to over £100,000 of cash prizes, the winners and runners up also received valuable professional services from the sponsor and supporters of the Awards.
Curiosity Research Ltd of Merseyside was awarded the £25,000 first prize in the Best New Business category. The Best Young Entrepreneur first prize of £10,000 was awarded to Trendy Vend Ltd. All Saints Action Network of Wolverhampton walked away with the top prize of £10,000 in the Best Entrepreneurial Social Enterprise or Charity category. The top prize of £10,000 in the Best Business providing Economic and/or Social Contribution was awarded to Kate Gorst of Altru Drama Ltd of Liverpool.
The finale to the night was the emotional Against All Odds prize of £25,000, which was awarded to Charlotte Hollins of Fordhall Community Land Initiative. The farm in North Shropshire was saved from development in June 2006 when over 8000 people purchased non-profit making £50 shares. Now owned by its shareholders, the land and house are leased to Ben and Charlotte Hollins, whilst the Fordhall Community Land Initiative utilises the same land for community benefit through events, volunteering and educational visits. The judges had an incredibly difficult task of awarding this prize as the finalists were all worthy in very different ways.
Steve Morgan commenting on the awards ceremony said, “The quality of entries received this year was incredibly high. The Judges have had a very challenging time deciding who to award the prizes to. I have been particularly delighted with the entrepreneurialism demonstrated by the charity and social enterprise finalists. The money and professional service prizes awarded will offer a real boost to their organisations and make a big difference to the communities they serve.”
Football League Chairman set to unveil a family football first at Molineux
Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of the Football League, is set to officially open Wolves’ new Family Information Centre, prior to Saturday’s special Wolves 4 Family Football home game against Burnley (Kick Off: 3pm).
The new matchday facility, situated next to the Ticket Office at the back of the Stan Cullis stand, will provide a central point where families can exclusively book match tickets for all Wolves games and discover all they need to know about Wolves and the matchday experience, from car parking to community soccer and education schemes. The facility will also be available to families from visiting clubs.
In addition, Wolves will also be the first club in football to launch the Child Safe Initiative, which will be offered via the new Family Information Centre. Child Safe has been successfully introduced in over 90 shopping centres across the UK. The initiative provides children with free wristbands for parents’ or guardians’ contact numbers so that, in the event of a child being lost, the parent or guardian can be contacted quickly.
Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League, said: “I’m looking forward to officially opening Wolves’ new Family Information Centre. I applaud the steps that Wolves continue to take to nurture the next generation of young supporters.
“The Wolves 4 Family Football campaign complements The Football League’s ‘Enjoy the Match’ and ‘Fans of the Future’ initiatives. Wolves have taken an important role in all of these campaigns and have worked very closely with The League in ensuring maximum positive impact for their fans.”
Jez Moxey, Chief Executive of Wolves, said: “One of the most important issues facing football is the recruitment of the next generation of young supporters. We have embraced this fact by completely reviewing our matchday experience to ensure it is more family orientated.