Team Wales, Dan Langford, who takes on this non-executive role over
SELLING
and above his full-time position as Group Marketing Director of leading
recruitment fi rm Acorn.
“Everything we try to achieve commercially is geared around providing
the best possible support environment for Team Wales,” explained
TEAM
Langford (pictured below).
“Our ability to engage commercial partners may not dictate the size
of the team going to Delhi, but it will certainly dictate what we can do
to support them - and therefore help to keep them focussed solely on
WALES
their performance and give them every chance to compete at their best
on the world stage.
“Wales has a proud history at the Commonwealth Games, punching
well above its weight, and this is something we must look to build on.
Funding is therefore key.
With a year to go to the Commonwealth Games, the
efforts are cranking up to try and ensure that Team “We have already met with a number of organisations that are keen
Wales can go to Delhi with the best possible chances to understand how they can build a partnership with the Wales
of success. Commonwealth Games team for maximum benefi t.
To support all the multi-sport athletes they will need eight “We have had discussions about how they can drive their community
physiotherapist beds, two miles of strapping tape, fi ve gallons of values objectives through an association with the Team Wales brand, by
massage oil and one block of kiwi oil.
And that is just for starters, the team will need 8,250 items of clothing,
there are a lot of pole vaults, the rugby sevens team take their own ice
bath, while the cycling tool box weighs 60kgs. It is all quite a logistical
exercise!
For even though the Friendly Games are the only time Wales competes
at a multi-sport event, the Commonwealth Games have a habit of
sneaking up unnoticed until they explode into action.
So before it starts it may be out of sight and out of mind as the Ashes,
Six Nations and Ryder Cup take centre stage, but all the preparations
are going on in the background to maximise Wales’s chances - and that
needs commercial backing to make it work.
Helping to drive those commercial efforts for Delhi 2010, and through
to the Games in Glasgow 2014, is the new Commercial Director for
words Hamish Stuart pictures Steve Pope commonwealth games
sportingwales
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