A STRATEGIC alliance between Altrincham FC and Altrincham Unlimited aims to bring the club and its fans closer to the business community, residents and visitors.

Altrincham Unlimited, the town’s Business Improvement District (BID), has announced a new partnership with Altrincham Football Club as part of its wider Experience Altrincham campaign.

The initiative, which officially commenced on August 19 to coincide with Altrincham FC’s first match of the season in the Evo-Stik Premier against Stafford Rangers, will see the club and Altrincham Unlimited working more closely together to promote each other’s events, assets and commercial opportunities.

It will also see the club engaging more directly with BID members, and start to play a bigger role in Altrincham’s wider regeneration and ongoing inward investment plan.

Katie Bland, BID manager for Altrincham Unlimited said: “For more than 125 years Altrincham has had a local football team on its doorstep but many people who work, shop or visit here don’t always think of it as a key part of the town centre’s leisure offer, an excellent event venue or a major commercial asset.

“Similarly, we are aware that many fans, both home and away, who visit Moss Lane don’t always then explore the rest of Altrincham, or don’t realise we have lots of events and festivals going on during match days which they could also be enjoying before or after a game.

“Through this partnership we therefore aim to make the Robins a more visible and integral part of the wider town centre offer, and will encouraging visitors, residents and BID members alike to get behind the club as supporters and sponsors.”

Grahame Rowley, chairman of Altrincham FC said: “Despite the disappointment of relegation last season there is real sense of optimism and enthusiasm around the club and we feel that for too long we’ve not been as engaged with the rest of the town as we could be.

“By working more closely with Altrincham Unlimited we hope to make the club a more prominent part of the wider Altrincham success story, and we are greatly looking forward to make supporting your neighbourhood team something that both local businesses and local people can become really proud of, regardless of which league we are playing in.”

The relationship between the Altrincham FC and Altrincham Unlimited will initially see the club promoting games, offers and events through the Altrincham LoyALTY app and other Altrincham Unlimited channels.

In return, Altrincham Unlimited will get regular access to the club’s various promotional platforms - including the matchday programme, matchday announcements, the club website and the Robins’ social media feeds - to highlight what is happening in the town centre.

It is also anticipated that as the partnership develops volunteers who help run Altrincham FC will become more involved in helping manage the town’s extensive programme of festivals, and that Altrincham businesses will give more commercial support to the club through sponsorship, advertising and other promotional opportunities.

Graham Rowley, chairman of Altrincham Football Club and Katie Bland, BID manager for Altrincham Unlimited