We live in a crazy, fast paced world where things are forever changing but one thing that is always a focal point of everyday life is sponsorship and advertising. If you look around yourself right now, I am sure you can identify some form of sponsorship or advertising within a metre of yourself. You could say that it is so prominent in our day to day lives that we either take it for granted or, it just doesn’t always register anymore.
So, what do we think of when we think of sponsorship? I guess most of us would think of big powerful companies that wouldn’t be out of place on the FTSE 100 across your favourite sport team’s jersey, on ad boards or on the side of the escalator on the tube. And you are not wrong if you did think that. Afterall, they have the clout to be in your face day in day out.
But when you break it down, and break it down again, and probably one more time you could probably find yourself within your more natural environment. Maybe in your local town, local sports club or at a local community event. If you were to look around yourself now, I am pretty sure it wouldn’t be your FTSE 100 companies in your face, but your more local independent companies sponsoring things a lot closer to home.
When we write our yearly sustainability plan we break it down to three sectors (like most do); Economic, Social & Environment. Without going too much detail in to all three sectors, as I am sure that is a whole new blog for a different time. But it is essential to focus on part of our sustainability plan for this blog and that is; the social aspect and the local communities we not just operate in, but also serve. Is it essential we give back to communities, be it being more environmentally friendly or sponsoring local talent.
So, this leads us on nicely to the main part of why we are here. Whilst one department of Gaysha is heavily operational in central London the other department is heavily operating in the Bexleyheath and Kent area.
In 2018 Gaysha were immensely proud to sponsor local Bexleyheath golf pro, Jacob Hassan. It was extremely important to us that we began to invest in talent in the local area and Jacob presented a fantastic opportunity we didn’t want to miss out on.
We went to visit Jacob and asked him where his passion for golf came from and how Gaysha’s sponsorship helps his career.
Where did your passion of golf come from and how old were you when you started playing?
I began playing golf at the age of 12, with friends and family. Being very competitive in nature, I fell in love with the challenge that golf presents very early on. My drive to continue improving comes from my pursuit of perfection, in a sport that is impossible to perfect.
How did your relationship with Gaysha form?
I have known Ian Elsey (Gaysha Director) and Lewis Elsey (Business Manager) for a number of years now through junior football. At one of the annual football reunions, I had a conversation with Ian, during which he expressed his interest in supporting me. At the time I was still competing on the amateur circuit, but after hearing the opportunity Gaysha was offering me, I decided to turn professional and test my game at a higher level.
How has it been since turning pro?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time since turning pro. It has been much tougher than I thought it would be, but as I stated earlier, it is the challenge of golf that drives me to work even harder.
How does Gaysha’s sponsorship help your career?
It is safe to say that without Gaysha’s sponsorship opportunity I would not be able to pursue a career as a professional golfer. Being from a household of modest income, it would be almost impossible to compete in a full season on any professional tour.
How would not having a sponsor slow down your progress?
I believe that the main benefit of Gaysha’s support comes from the coaching I can afford. I have put together a great team of professionals around me that work to develop the different parts of my game. Without this network of support, I would not be making progress with my game.
What advice would you have for young people wanting to turn pro?
I would advise young people to get a team of coaches in place very early on. I currently work with 3 different, highly qualified instructors who work to develop my long game, short game + putting, as well as my fitness. Regardless of the scores you are posting, having a team you trust surrounding you will always give you a clear vision on how to progress.
“Gaysha recognises the importance of working with the community, by helping young local talent to develop & flourish. We look forward to supporting Jacob on his journey and we will be posting regular updates on his progress and achievements on our website.
We also look forward to getting Jacob to help us in organising some future golf events and training days for our clients. Keep checking our website for details of these.” Lewis Elsey, Business Manager.
It is estimated that the sports market across the world comes to a combined $700 billion. So, it is clear to see why large companies invest in sponsorship. In 2007 global expenditure on sponsorship was estimated to be $37.9 billion, that rising to $62.7 billion in 2017 and that will only continue to rise. But in the real day-to-day world it is so important that we are investing in the grassroots and local talents, clubs & societies to help them strive to achieve their pinnacle.
It is imperative that more businesses, including ourselves, are giving more appreciation and investment to the communities they operate in. There is still so much more we want to do to help build our 1-5-year sustainability plan. We can only continue to operate in neighbourhoods and communities if we help build their futures alongside the tenants and residents of these great areas.
As Jacob mentioned, without the support of the sponsorship he would not be able to progress in his career as quickly as he has been able to. There is plenty more raw talent out there like Jacob who need that support and sponsorship to further develop their career and we look forward to hopefully working with more of them. But mainly we all hope Jacob carries on from the good start he has had to the beginning of this year’s season.
So, from all of us at Gaysha, good luck for the rest of 2019, Jacob.
Article by Stuart Moore at Gaysha Ltd, a manufacturer and installer of resin based paving surfaces, based in Bexleyheath.
Gaysha Ltd, 5th Floor, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH
Tel: 0203 887 3623 Email: info@gaysha.co.uk Web: www.gaysha.co.uk