STANDING VIEW

TERRY SHARROCKS PRESTIGE PROJECTS

STANDING VIEW Harrogate Railway announced a major new sponsorship deal at the beginning of the season. Prestige Projects became the Main club sponsor and we caught up with owner Terry Sharrocks to discuss what the club means to him.

Terry you’ve come into Harrogate Railway and have become the major sponsor, taking over from G H Brooks. What made you want to become involved with Harrogate Railway and to sponsor them?

Obviously Ryan plays here and Bradley is involved this season. But I have always been involved in football in some way and I have sponsored for a few seasons a lot of local teams where I live over in Leeds. I’ve also been involved in Leeds Rhinos and Leeds United for some years at corporate level.

I love the set up here and it is a really nice club, nice people and I see it as a little bit of a sleeping giant really, and I think it just needs a bit of a push by someone like me along with Rob to back it where we can.

Obviously, it could be good for business… who knows.

Can you tell us a little bit more about Prestige Projects, who are sponsoring Harrogate Railway?

We’re based in Leeds 13 and we are an all trades building company. We do new builds, lots of extensions, loft conversions, we do work for schools, NHS, local authorities and like I say we have all trades from groundworks, through to decorators. You name it we’ve got it, such as a roofing division and brick laying. Everything really. We’re very experienced.

Bradley and Ryan are apprentices, so it is a bit of a family business.

Where do you live?

I live in Pudsey, Leeds 28 so fairly local to Leeds 13.

So not too much of a trek to get into Railway?

Half an hour-ish. We do work over here as well.

Are you looking to expand over here into Harrogate?

Hopefully, you never know. There are lots of things going on behind the scenes business-wise and with the club. Exciting times ahead.

With Ryan and Bradley getting into the Railway squad; I know that Ryan has been a mainstay in the team up to this week when he got injured – how did they get into football?

I’ve always been involved in sport from an early age and when you have two boys you I want them both to get involved in sport.

From an early age they both got involved in football and both were involved at Leeds United for a while and Bradley has been involved down at Bradford City for a couple of years.

They’ve both played for local teams. Ryan’s a really good cricketer who played at Yorkshire schoolboys level for many years.

They’re really all round good sportsmen and we’re from a sporting background – my dad was always involved in sport as well.

How long have you been aware of Harrogate Railway?

I’ve always known about them. I obviously didn’t know what type of club it was and about the people. It’s a really nice set up and lovely people.

I think it really needs to go to the next level, it has had a few barren years and it is a shame that they got relegated last season, but you really have to just bounce back and move on.

You need to get a good side together, a good squad and hopefully get promoted at some point.

So you have got involved in the football committee. How has that been?

Different. It’s been quite enjoyable.

Obviously when Lee left his position, it wasn’t nice because he is a nice guy. But it is interesting…my other half thinks it is just another excuse to come out and have a beer! But it’s not.

It is interesting. I think you need to have decent people to make decisions, proper decisions as far as club and football team are concerned.

I am involved on the football side and do not get involved with the day-to-day running of the clubhouse.

But, I am enjoying it!

Have you noticed a change since you’ve got involved this season, such the feeling around the club?

If I am honest yes, definitely.

I think we have a bit of steel, I feel like we are getting there slowly but I’ve seen changes. I think there’s a bit of belief around here.

I know we lost midweek [against Rainworth] through injuries and the sending off. But I had a feeling we’d bounce back today [against Maltby Main] to be honest and we’ve added a couple of really good additions to the team.

We’ve been missing central players, holding players with a bit of experience and there’s more on the cards.

We’ve put seven days in for certain players and hopefully we are starting to attract some decent players again.

It’s always good to see club sponsors come to home games, but we’ve also seen you travel to a lot of away games, which it is a little unusual to see.

Yeah, I enjoy it and I want to come and give my support.

I mean, I have been to games like today where Ryan and Bradley aren’t playing because of injury, but you have to come to games and give your support. I actually enjoy it.

I’ve always been involved with football for many years, but I want to see them do well and I want to be part of it.

I think there is something good about to happen here and they won’t be far away as well to be honest. Especially in this league because I think everyone is beating everyone.

Anything is possible really, so long as you don’t get too far away from the front runners, if we go on a bit of a good run from now until January…you never know!

It is a tough league. Typically if you lose four or five matches, you don’t get promoted as there is only one promotion spot. Do you think the rebuilding may be a little too much for this season, but next season there may be a really good run at promotion?

I agree with you, I think it is a little bit out of our reach this season. We could go on a good run and it builds for next season.

But realistically we build that platform now and really attack it next season and hit the ground running.

But stranger things have happened though…

It’s always nice to give a bloody nose to teams, like a couple of years ago under Billy Miller in the Evo-Stik, when we beat a few of the teams in the hunt for promotion.

Absolutely. It is too much of an ask this season to win promotion, so realistically next season…hopefully.

Looking forward to the remainder of this season. Looking for the results to improve. Over the last four, five or six matches we’ve seen performances improve, we’ve seen results improve and Railway have picked up points and getting a little bit further away from the bottom of the league, which always helps confidence. Are you happy with how things are going?

Now, yes. I am now, yes.

It is always nice to get points and we are going in the right direction. If you look at the league, another three wins and it makes it interesting and it gets us in the right area.

Yes definitely, there has been a big improvement make no mistake. Without being too critical, a change needed to happen and I think everyone will agree with that.

With Paul coming in, he is a no-nonsense type of guy and it is good to see him playing as he has made a difference up front, albeit he’s not 100% fit, but he has made a difference.

He’s installed a bit of steel into the squad and that is what we need. And there have been improvements with one defeat in five. So yeah, it has improved and we are going in the right direction. It’s good to see to be honest.

So Prestige Projects, are they going to be building a ten thousand, twenty thousand seat stadium here in the next few years when Railway go up the leagues?

Who knows…I’ve lot’s of contacts and people that want to be involved. But we need to stabilise first and start doing well on the pitch.

If you are doing well and people see that you are going in the right direction, it is easier to bring other people in. You never know.

There’s a lot happening behind the scenes and exciting stuff, but it is too early to say anything. But you know, we are going in the right direction.