In association with
THE JOHN SMITH’S STADIUM
NEWSLETTER THE JOHN SMITH’S STADIUM
@JOHNSMITHSTADIA
VOLUME 10
Newsletter printed by Stadium Partner Riasca
THE JOHN SMITH’S STADIUM HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW CATERING PARTNERSHIP WITH AWARD WINNING HOSPITALITY COMPANY, KUDOS. The new relationship will increase the quality of the catering and hospitality offering and bring a pioneering new spirit of partnership to the Stadium. Built on a passion for delivering the highest quality Stadium hospitality, delicious food and a commitment to customer service, the partnership will improve the experience both Clubs provide for fans, sponsors and business users, both on match days and non-match days. The partnership is a joint venture between KUDOS, Huddersfield Town Football Club, Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Football Club and the Stadium operators KSDL. It follows the existing partnership with the Stadium’s current catering company, Sodexo, coming to a conclusion this summer. With 35 years of hospitality experience, KUDOS are set to bring a fresh and creative
STADIUM PARTNERS
approach to the catering offering at The John Smith’s Stadium which is a truly international venue, hosting football and rugby at national and international level. It is operational 365 days a year and not just for sporting events. The Stadium hosts music and entertainment, business conferencing and networking events and will soon be part of the new HD One Leisure Scheme due to be completed in 2020. Gareth Davies, Managing Director of The John Smith’s Stadium, said: “Flexibility and a willingness to move away from standard practices within the Stadium catering sector was the key to us working with KUDOS on our future plans. This relationship isn’t an outside caterer, this relationship will be a true partnership where all the stakeholders of this fantastic Stadium have a say in the future of the service we offer to our customers.
“KUDOS are a Michelin star business with an attention to detail and a great work ethic which fits exactly with our philosophy here at the Stadium. KUDOS are committed to minimising their environmental impact, and are proud supporters of using local and British produce to provide a sustainable catering service, which was something that also appealed to the Stadium partners.”
Gareth Davies of The John Smith’s Stadium (centre) with left to right Ian Simpson, Nicky Pratt and Steven Marshall of KUDOS
THE JOHN SMITH’S STADIUM MOVES TO MICHELIN STANDARD KUDOS CATERING
Dean Hoyle, Chairman of Huddersfield Town
FROM A DREAM TO REALITY – HUDDERSFIELD TOWN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PROMOTION Huddersfield Town sealed their promotion to the Premier League at Wembley on Monday 29 May. The game was won by Christopher Schindler, who took the final penalty in the shoot out against Reading, clinching a 4-3 win on penalties at the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs following a 0-0 draw in normal time. 38,000 Town fans packed into the 90,000 seater Stadium to cheer the team on for the £200M game. The team’s successfully earned promotion will be their first time in the English top flight of football since 1972.
The promotion was celebrated by all at the Stadium as well as the thousands of fans, in a civic reception which made its way from the ground to St George’s Square, parading the Club’s amazing achievement at reaching the Premier League for the first time in their history. For us at the Stadium the hard work is now underway to ensure the ground is ready for the new season in August, when the Club will be facing the likes of Chelsea and Man City here at The John Smith’s Stadium!
PREP WORK ON THE HD ONE SCHEME EXPECTED TO ‘START STRAIGHT AWAY’ KSDL and CDP have created a joint venture company ‘The HD One Kirklees Limited’ which will build the Scheme. The company will be chaired by Sir John Harman, previously both Chairman of KSDL and Leader of Kirklees Council. KSDL has also been working exclusively with CDP’s sister company, Marshall Construction, on finalising the Scheme. A plan to deliver The HD One was presented to the Board of KSDL in May of this year. It predicts preparatory work starting straight away. The total construction plan sees The HD One Leisure Scheme opening late in 2020. However, elements of the Scheme, such as additional car parking and the hotel, are expected to open earlier. Gareth Davies, Managing Director of KSDL, said: “It is very exciting to now be moving towards the delivery stage of The HD One. “The Scheme has required a huge amount of planning, including ensuring that we do not disrupt the operations of our various partners and tenants at the Stadium.
“However, The HD One will provide Kirklees with a state of the art leisure destination facility that will pull people in from across the North.” “It will also create significant new employment. CDP are excellent and very experienced partners, whom we have been working with for some time. It is also very pleasing to be working with their sister company Marshall. “Working with a local firm like them means that in addition to the permanent employment created, most of the construction jobs will be local as well. The Scheme is real and we are totally committed to making it happen” Simon Marshall, Group Managing Director of Marshall CDP, said: “We are very happy to have entered a JV partnership with KSDL.” “As I told the Board of KSDL, this is an excellent Scheme and together we will make it a reality.” For more information visit www.thehdone.co.uk
AFP DIGITAL RENEW STADIUM SPONSORSHIP DEAL After a successful start to their partnership, new Stadium sponsor AFP Digital has renewed and enhanced their agreement with KSDL, giving them an increased presence at the ground. As of the 1st of January, AFP Digital gained a prominent brand presence at the Stadium, in a campaign to increase awareness of their business services. This was achieved through the sponsorship of external facing advertising boards, which are situated on the riverbank walkway. AFP will also gain title sponsorship of
a number of Stadium run events to increase their local business network. “We are really happy to extend our partnership with the team at the Stadium. The relationship has proved to be excellent, enabling us to increase our profile in Huddersfield, as well as giving us the opportunity to start to build mutually beneficial relationships with the other businesses that are friends and partners of KSDL. I look forward to this continuing in 2017.” Andrew Bennell, Managing Director, AFP Digital.
Pictured Left to right: Andrew Bennell, AFP Digital and Gareth Davies, The John Smith’s Stadium.
RRG TOYOTA HUDDERSFIELD RAISE MONEY FOR COMIC RELIEF!
On Wednesday 22 March staff from RRG Toyota Huddersfield took part in a 24hr Table Tennis Marathon in aid of the Comic Relief Appeal. The fundraising event brought businesses from Huddersfield and the wider Yorkshire area together, in an effort to raise money for a fantastic cause. We at KSDL were one of the many businesses that joined them for the event, helping them to raise a fantastic £1,800 for Comic Relief!
P2 TECHNOLOGIES SET SIGHTS ON GROWTH IN 2017
LEGACY SPORT – SPORTING AGE ASSESS, PROGRESS, REPORT Stadium Partner Legacy Sport has recently introduced Sporting Age as a tool to improve physical literacy at primary schools, providing sustained and targeted training for primary school teachers.
Stadium Partner P2 Technologies has recently expanded into prestigious new premises following significant company growth. As part of P2 Technologies mission to provide unrivalled IT services, the firm has expanded into a 3,000sqft carbon negative office space at the Old Corn Mill, Millhouse Green. The modern premises are purpose built to provide the best possible working environment,
with open plan spaces, dedicated offices and private meeting rooms. The whole space is custom built and will not only support future growth but also improve communications across the whole business.
Sporting Age allows teachers to use baseline data, collected by the Legacy team through a number of physical assessments, to assess groups and individuals on their fundamental P.E skills. Once the assessment is complete objectives and strategies will be provided to facilitate the students learning and progress.
STADIUM NETWORKING FORUM RESOUNDING SUCCESS On Friday 7 April we at KSDL hosted our biannual Networking Forum held in association with Stadium Partner AFP Digital.
Pictured Brendan Hall
We were delighted to welcome the skipper from the “2010 Clipper” Round The World Yacht Race winning team, Brendan Hall as our guest speaker for the event. Brendans’ presentation ‘Leading through the eye of the storm’ provided a gripping and brutally honest retelling of the race as well as revealing
and instructing valuable lessons in leadership and teamwork. Structured around the most exciting points of the race, the presentation was a fantastic mix of sailing action and rich leadership insight. The event was a huge success with around 80 delegates being in attendance, with many praising the standard of the food, delivery of the event and the inspiring speech from our fantastic guest speaker.
KIRKLEES BUSINESS CONFERENCE
Pictured left to right: Steven Bonfield and Neil Wilson of Chadwick Lawrence with Gareth Davies of The John Smith’s Stadium
Leading figures from across West Yorkshire, including our own Managing Director Gareth Davies, entertained and informed the packed seminars at The Stadium for this years’ annual Kirklees Business Conference.
CHADWICK LAWRENCE NAMED AS LEGAL PARTNER FOR HD ONE DEVELOPMENT
The occasion was the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce’s third year at hosting the event at The Stadium and was a resounding success, with over 600 delegates attending on the day and 50 different exhibitor stands.
Stadium Stand Sponsor Chadwick Lawrence has been announced as official legal partner for The HD One development. The Scheme is set to include over 250,000 square feet of leisure, sport, dining, retail and entertainment space plus a new 4* hotel and outdoor ski slope, all located on the grounds surrounding the Stadium.
Focused on local regeneration and development, the discussion panel, which featured representatives from The Stadium, Kirklees Council and the University of Huddersfield, provided insight into all of the upcoming development plans around Huddersfield, including The HD One development at The Stadium.
As the official legal partner, Chadwick Lawrence will be the lead law firm on the project; overseeing the progression of the development and making sure that all legal requirements are in place prior to opening. The firm will also assist with ongoing day-to-
J.L BROOKS SIGN AS NEW PARTNER J.L Brooks have become one of the newest partners of The John Smith’s Stadium, in a campaign to increase their business relationships and company profile across the Yorkshire area.
THE DOCUMENT PEOPLE
day legal advice and legal support across all aspects of the project. Neil Wilson, Managing Partner at Chadwick Lawrence, said: “This is a huge project which recognises the high level of expertise Chadwick Lawrence has as a firm. “Our team has the professional ability and strength to deliver such a prestigious programme of work on a development which is set to truly bring a positive and exciting change to Huddersfield and the local community.”
The company, which was established in 1920 by Ernest (Jack) Lesley Brooks, provide a wide range of soft drinks, snacks, confectionery and janitorial products to a large number of business sectors across Yorkshire and the wider area. Bought by current owner David Longfellow in 2005, the company has expanded significantly employing 18 members of staff with a fleet of 8 vans and having moved into
This year the event was supported by The Design Mechanics, Comoodle, Social Progress, The John Smith’s Stadium, TopicUK, Lattitude7, John Steel Photography and KC Communications.
new premises of 20,000 sq.ft based in Armley, Leeds in order to meet the current demand.
Left to right: David Longfellow and Richard Wardle of J.L Brooks
DISTINCT DISPOSABLES ON BOARD FOR ANOTHER YEAR Distinct Disposables Ltd have renewed their partnership with The John Smith’s Stadium, after a successful year in which we have helped them to increase their brand awareness through sponsorship of Stadium events and online and offline marketing engagement.
renewed our sponsorship with the Stadium as part of our on-going campaign to increase brand awareness. We’ve had a fantastic first year in sponsorship with the team and are looking forward to what the next year may bring.”
Based in Lockwood, family-run business Distinct Disposables have many years’ experience in distributing cleaning and janitorial products. Distinct Disposables Ltd have the knowledge as well the experience to provide the best possible service. Emma Wood and Paul Storer, joint Directors at Distinct Disposables, commented on the partnership, “We are delighted to have
As of this August, Prohms will increase their brand presence at the Stadium in a campaign to increase awareness of their occupational health services. This will be achieved through the sponsorship of the LV=Britannia Rescue Stand exit vomitory boards as well as refreshing their current sponsorship of one of the floodlight pods.
Stadium Sponsor, Hanson Chartered Surveyors, have signed a new sponsorship deal with the Stadium that will see them increase their brand awareness amongst other businesses and improve their marketing engagement by hosting our Autumn Partners Forum. The John Smith’s Stadium has worked closely with Hanson Chartered Surveyors for many years now, utilising their services in relation to their onsite office lettings and tenancy agreements.
Emma Wood and Paul Storer of Distinct Disposables with Gareth Davies of The John Smith’s Stadium
PROHMS ENHANCE STADIUM SPONSORSHIP DEAL After a successful 3 years in partnership, Stadium sponsor Prohms Occupational Health Providers have bolstered their partnership agreement with the Stadium, increasing their presence at the ground.
HANSON TO SPONSOR UPCOMING PARTNERS FORUM
Prohms is an established group of qualified health care professionals, including occupational health physicians, specialist practitioners, nurses, occupational health technicians and physiotherapists, based in West and South Yorkshire. “We at the Stadium are proud to have such a fantastic relationship with Sandra and her team at Prohms. We have worked together now successfully for many years and so are delighted that we are able to continue and build on this going forward.” Gareth Davies, Managing Director, The John Smith’s Stadium
Commenting on the renewal, Gareth Davies, Managing Director of The John Smith’s Stadium said, “We are thrilled to have renewed our partnership with Mark and his team. We have successfully worked with Hanson’s for many years now and I believe that hosting a Partners Forum will be a great way for Mark to profile his business.”
LONG STANDING SUPPLIER COME ON BOARD AS NEW PARTNER Spedding Goldthorpe Brokers have become one of the latest of many businesses to partner with The John Smith’s Stadium. Forming Partnerships and Risk Solutions to Businesses Nationwide, Spedding Goldthorpe has become one of the area’s leading suppliers of insurance, with almost 50 years’ experience in providing businesses and individuals with great service and reliable insurance. “KSDL has worked with Spedding Goldthorpe since the Stadium first opened in 1994 and the service that we receive from Chris and his team has always been next to none. We are thrilled to be able to build on this and form a working partnership with Spedding Goldthorpe and look forward to the fantastic year ahead.” Gareth Davies, Managing Director, The John Smith’s Stadium.
STADIUM TO HOST 99 BUSINESS CLUB GREENSTREAMS STEWARDSHIP EVENT On Friday 28 April KSDL hosted the Stadium Charity Greenstreams Riverside Stewardship Launch event, which was held in association with local MP’s Barry Sheerman and Jason McCartney, the Aire and Calder Catchment Partnership and River Holme Connections.
On Friday 24 November we at the Stadium will be hosting our second annual 99 Business Club networking event on behalf of the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice. For our sponsorship of the event we will be providing room hire and light refreshments to the Hospice. The 99 Business Club is a quarterly networking meeting hosted for the Forget Me Not 99er members. To become a member or for more information email fundraising@forgetmenotchild.co.uk
Pictured left to right: David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, Ed Clancy and Peter Jackson
The event included a vision for the future of our rivers from the local MP’s, a look into what is changing already along the river and a request for the attendees to commit their time to become stewards. For more information on the Greenstreams project please visit www.greenstreams.org.uk
STADIUM RIVER CLEAN UP The John Smith’s Stadium has once again joined forces with charity partner Greenstreams, in an effort to improve access to the River Colne and encourage local wildlife to flourish.
HOWARTH FOUNDATION ACHIEVE FULL CHARITABLE STATUS
Members of staff from KSDL and Cummins Turbo (pictured above with Jeff from Greenstreams) left their desks to undertake some outdoor volunteering around the footpath bordering the riverbank. This involved clearing debris i.e. plastic bottles, glass bottles, various assortment of rubbish, cutting down tree branches and brambles and installing steps to improve access to the beach below – all of which will encourage the growth of wildflowers in the area. Gareth Davies, Managing Director of The John Smith’s Stadium said “We are delighted to be supporting Greenstreams by helping tidy up the riverbank which runs through our site. Myself and the team thoroughly enjoyed the day and have signed up for more volunteering later in the year.” The water quality in the river Colne has improved considerably and this has led to an increase in wildlife. Higher oxygen levels in the water mean that aquatic insects and other invertebrates can repopulate the river providing food for native fish species such as brown trout and grayling. Kingfishers, dippers and goosanders are among the birds to benefit, and it is not impossible that otters might return; they have been seen on the Calder as close as Dewsbury!
Rachael Sulley of The John Smith’s Stadium and Esther Burke of Children’s Place
CHILDREN’S PLACE FAMILY HAMPER COLLECTION Andy Howarth, CEO of The Howarth Foundation, is delighted to confirm that last month the charity received full charitable status and is now entered into the Register of Charities Registered Charity Number 1171635. The aim of the charity is to provide support for the homeless and rough sleepers who may be ready to take the ‘next step’ in Kirklees and Leeds area by guiding individuals into employment or training. The charity needs the help of local businesses to kick start their fundraising campaign and asks that you and your team consider buying our homeless a warm cuppa by donating £3 per month by texting CUPO01 £3 to 70070.
This December we at The John Smith’s Stadium will act as a hub for food hamper donations for local charity Children’s Place Foundation. The charity works with families from across West Yorkshire who access Children’s Centre services in Calderdale, Bradford and Kirklees, as well as women’s refuges in Bradford and the WYCCP charity based at HMP Leeds. The food donations collected will then be packed into a hamper with 3 days’ worth of food and treats. Last year the charity were able to put together and distribute 159 food hampers to their families. To get involved with the scheme for 2017 get in touch via email foundation@childrens-place. co.uk The Stadium will also be acting as a hub and will be open to donations.
SPORTING DINNER 2017 On Thursday 30 March the Stadium played host to four fantastic sporting stars; track and field athlete Steve Cram CBE, triple Olympic Gold medallist and 5 time World Champion in professional cycling Ed Clancy OBE, former Huddersfield Town coach Peter Jackson and former Lancashire County Cricket and England Player David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, for the fourth annual Forget Me Not Sporting Dinner. The dinner was in aid of local charity Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, which cares for children and families across West Yorkshire who have life shortening health conditions. With the help of private donations from guests and the evening’s auctions the dinner raised an amazing £11,000 for the Hospice. Simon Brook, Commercial Director at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice said, “We are continually amazed by the support, generosity and warmth of our guests who made the evening such a success. We would also like to thank our sponsors and of course sporting stars without whom the event would not be as magical as it was.”
DONATION BIN SCHEME
From the beginning of February we at the Stadium have been a proud member of the Forget Me Not Donation Bin Scheme. The bins are located in our staff canteen, open to donations from all onsite tenants. 100% of the items donated go directly to the charity and can include items such as; clothing, books, DVDs, homeware and games. These items are then sent straight to one of their stores which are located at; Almondbury, Brighouse, Golcar, Heckmondwike, Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge, Holmfirth, King Cross (Halifax), and Lindley. For more information on the scheme and to help the Hospice spread the ‘Magic of Yes!’ contact fundraising@forgetmenotchild.co.uk
HEINEKEN SPONSORS FOOTBALL MATCH
PITCH REFURB At the end of the football season, scheduled in around the Giants rugby matches, the Stadium Grounds Team have a very short window of opportunity to carry out their annual, major refurbishment of the pitch. This is a vital and a very precious time for our team to work their magic. Day One The pitch is scarified with specialist equipment in multiple directions to remove unwanted surface vegetation and debris and to clean and groom the upper Desso surface. Day Two After the pitch is stripped down, 120 tonnes of specialist sand dressing is applied all over. The sand dressing has many benefits to the health of the pitch and the reasons for top dressing include: maintaining a level pitch, improving the drainage, prevent thatch build up, promote new grass growth and improve the resilience of the pitch. Day Three The Vertidrain machine is used to relieve compaction on the pitch before they start the over-seeding operation. 400kgs of MM60 grass seed is then spread over the pitch in multiple directions to ensure even coverage. To finish the pitch is topped with 400kgs of 10:15 NPK analysis fertiliser.
Pictured the John Smith’s and Fosters teams.
Lager beats Bitter in inaugural John Smith’s Stadium Cup. Heineken UK has gone some way to answering the age old question of ‘which is better, bitter or lager?’ with a good old fashioned football match at the appropriately named The John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield.
THE JOHN SMITH’S STADIUM TENDERING FOR RUGBY LEAGUE INTERNATIONALS The John Smith’s Stadium are tendering to host a match in the England v New Zealand Test series in 2018 and the 2021 World Cup. This comes after the success of being selected to host England v New Zealand in the 2016 Four Nations Tournament.
On Thursday 18 May the Stadium hosted a football match for naming rights Sponsor Heineken. The event saw Manchester Brewery, who brew Fosters, take on Tadcaster Brewery, who brew John Smith’s. After taking the lead early on, the Foster’s Team never looked like relinquishing their grip on the game and ran out 4-0 winners to take the honours and claim the bragging rights. The event was organised by Heineken UK as a way to give something back to their staff and to celebrate the extension of naming rights deal with the Stadium in Huddersfield for a further five years.
THE JOHN SMITH’S STADIUM REFRESHED BRANDING Following the extension of their Stadium Naming Rights agreement in 2016, Heineken has refreshed a portion of their Stadium branding to keep in line with the new John Smith’s guidelines. The new artwork can be seen across the Chadwick Lawrence Stand and to the back of the North end of the LV= Britannia Rescue Stand.
DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR THURSDAY 29 AUGUST
C&K Careers – The Next Step Event Chat to training providers and colleagues about apprenticeships, traineeships, college and further opportunities.
MONDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Giants Awards Night A night in celebration of the Giants rugby season providing recognition for individual player achievements.
THURSDAY 2 NOVEMBER
Examiner Business Awards An Awards event in recognition of local businesses, with 3-course dinner and entertainment.
FRIDAY 1 DECEMBER
Town Foundation Ladies Lunch An afternoon of fun, food and entertainment. With The Globe Girls returning to the stage to provide the entertainment.
CHRISTMAS PARTIES FRIDAY 1 DECEMBER, FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER AND FRIDAY 15 DECEMBER
Disco Party Nights Disco Party Nights – Package includes DJ and disco, choice 3-course dinner, tea, coffee and mince pies, novelties and late bar.
SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER
Live Party Band Nights Package includes music from ‘The Jackrabbits’, DJ and disco, choice 3-course dinner, tea, coffee and mince pies, novelties and late bar.
SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER, SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER AND FRIDAY 22 DECEMBER
Disco Party Nights Disco Party Nights – Package includes DJ and disco, choice 3-course dinner, tea, coffee and mince pies, novelties and late bar.
SUNDAY 21 JANUARY
Wedding Fayres Yorkshire The regions finest wedding suppliers will be at Huddersfield’s biggest wedding show along with a catwalk, live entertainment and much more.
Wedding Fayre Yorkshire