Cross-Severn relationships helping England Touch grow

There is no hard border between England and Wales when it comes to helping the England Touch Association grow.

England Touch has signed exclusive contracts with Caerphilly sportswear supply company, Belief Sports, and Celtic Springs-based accountancy and tax experts Kilsby Williams to supply advice and guidance.

“When it came to finding a kit supplier, we were keen to work with a company that understands the unique demands of Touch,” says Gregg Cropper, chief executive at England Touch. “We were impressed with the Welsh team’s kit and when we discovered that was through Belief Sport, we were confident that they could deliver exactly what we needed.”

Belief Sports is producing all of the kit for England’s national teams as well as the regional squads that compete in the Ryvita Touch Nationals, as well as a wide range of leisure and training wear suitable for all Touch players regardless of the level that they play at.

Mason Najmi, Belief Sports’ sales director, said: “We jumped at the opportunity to work with England Touch. They are clearly an organisation with ambitious growth plans which allies with our own business aspirations.” 

The relationship extends beyond straightforward kit provision, too, and it was Najmi who suggested that England Touch contact Kilsby Williams, who had successfully helped them to maximise their own sales and merchandising opportunities. 

He commented: “When we were getting established Kilsby helped us with everything we needed, from profit margins to grants. I think the fact that we have worked together for 10 years and they have seen us grow internationally is testament to the quality of the support they have provided.”

Cropper added: “As a relatively new organisation, we have grown to a financial position where we need further advice and assistance around tax, in terms of corporation tax and VAT.

“Kilsby is currently giving us the guidance we need and discussing our activities with the HMRC on our behalf. We have also commissioned them to process our end of year accounts, due to us not having the in-house experience at this point. Ultimately, they are able to act as the additional resource that we need to help us continue to grow.” 

Ataf Salim, Partner at Kilsby Williams, said: “It is great to be working with England Touch and we hope that by showing them ways to maximise their resources, we will help them to thrive.

“We have given them advice to help them become more self-sufficient and sustainable in the future. We’ve shown them how to record various streams of income and introduced them to software that can minimise the time they are spending on their accounts and instead focus on their priority of making the sport as successful as it can be.”

Touch is one of the fastest growing sports in England, played by people of all ages and skill levels. England Touch is the national governing body for Touch in England and is responsible for the governance and development of the sport. England Touch’s role as custodians of the game is to promote Touch by networking with key stakeholders, encourage engaging opportunities for everyone to participate and develop talent through their performance pathways.

For further information please visit www.kilsbywilliams.com.