Goal to help town’s firms prosper in China

The managing director of the Fired Up Corporation led a delegation to the Far East to meet government officials, business leaders, local HSBC bankers and community representatives.

Fired Up and the club also hosted a football gala, featuring coaching sessions for the local community neighbouring its factory .

The Yorkshire mission included Sean Jarvis, commercial director at Huddersfield Town FC, Mark Goodwin, managing director at CBC Computers, Andy Needham, MD at Morris and Sons, and David Nuttall, sales manager at Stockley Sweets. Fired Up has developed pioneering corporate social responsibility programmes in Zhongshan, where it has established a 300,000 sq ft manufacturing operation.

The company, which also has manufacturing operations in Yorkshire, makes goods for the home improvement, healthcare mobility and the hotel supply markets, including the famous Corby trouser press brand.

Town chief executive Nigel Clibbens told the Yorkshire Post: “Traditionally football clubs look at other countries as opportunities to sell shirts and import players.

“We are looking at it from a business perspective.”

He said if Town can help Huddersfield businesses prosper in China through “the universal language of football”, it gives them more reason to support the club at home.

“That’s a much more stable and stronger relationship. It’s corporate social responsibility in reverse,” added Mr Clibbens.

Ajin Abraham, international commercial manager at Town, said the ethos behind the international development programme is “football, business and the community”.

“Although the partnership with Fired Up is at an early stage, it is working fantastically well for all parties involved,” he said.

“We have joined up with a business that has made a success in China and this will, we have no doubt, encourage the companies joining us to expand the horizons in terms of their thinking about the way in which they go about their business.”

Mark Robins, the club’s new manager, has praised Town’s “progressive thinking” under owner Dean Hoyle, the founder of the Card Factory retail chain.