Hinnies Restaurant (sister of Blackfriars Restaurant) based in Whitley Bay, is teaming up with Whitley Bay FC to sponsor the Under 11s team for the new season.
The Hinnies logo will adorn the team’s shirts as the boys compete with other sides across North Tyneside, Northumberland and Newcastle in the coming months.
Restaurateur Andy Hook, who owns Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle, opened Hinnies in February with his business partner Dave Townsley, offering ‘Geordie Comfort Food’ to diners. Hinnies has already made a big impact on the local dining scene and won the OpenTable Diners’ Choice Award last month.
The team they have chosen to sponsor – Whitley Bay FC Under 11s – are based at Foxhunters Pavilion and finished in second place in the Killingworth Young People’s Club (KYPC) last season. They have been playing together for four years, since they joined the Whitley Bay Under 7s team in 2012.
The boys are embarking on an exciting season, as they will be moving up to a 9-a-side format this year, and will play in the Pin Point Recruitment Junior Football League for the first time.
Their manager, Darren Fawcett, a telecom engineer from Holystone, has managed the team since it was formed and has been involved with junior football for eight years.
Darren said: “We are really pleased that Hinnies has agreed to sponsor our team. It’s great to see a local restaurant taking an interest in local junior football. Hopefully, by displaying the Hinnies logo on our shirts, we can help to raise the profile of this popular local business whilst we’re playing other teams across the North East.”
Andy said: “Many of us here at Hinnies are keen football fans, and we wanted to find a way to show our support for local youngsters who share our love of ‘the beautiful game’. We are delighted to sponsor the Whitley Bay FC Under 11s, who are clearly a talented bunch. We will be cheering them on all season!”