'It's a 365-day-a-year partnership' - Cycling Sheffield looking for financial support to maintain European race schedule

In their time in the British peloton and in their frequently more recent forays into European racing, Cycling Sheffield have nurtured and progressed the careers of a host of young Yorkshire and British riders, the two-time national road race champion turned Ineos rider Connor Swift, chief among them.

But as he prepares his development team for their 11th season of racing, Coulson does so with a stark warning: without new sponsors and more funding, the future for his team is very bleak.

He is not at the stage yet where he is ready to say it could be curtains for this Yorkshire team, but it is obvious that thought has crossed his mind, especially given the challenging economic climate.

“I always make sure at the end of one year I’m rolling enough cash over to the next to keep the lights on,” Coulson tells The Yorkshire Post, “but the difference this year is, after the last few years building more and more races outside the UK into our programme, it’s unlikely we’re going to be able to do much of that, if any, this year.”

Cycling Sheffield had 11 sponsors for last season, all of them local companies which was a source of major pride for Coulson who uses his team to not only give young British riders a bridge between the junior and senior levels, but a chance to promote his home city and the local area.

They have lost two supporters for 2024 and, crucially, their partnership with a vehicle provider that had lasted since their very first race a decade ago has come to an end.

“A sponsor might be really happy with what you’ve done for them,” he says. “But things might change, agendas change.”

It means Cycling Sheffield’s plans have changed for this year.

Coulson still has eight riders, three from Sheffield, under the age of 23 on his books - as he did last year - but as it stands he cannot afford to take them racing on the continent to further their development.

“I’m worried how possible it’s going to be to keep developing the team as we have been doing, the successes we’ve had particularly the last couple of years,” adds Coulson, whose team celebrated a third-place finish in the Cicle Classic UCI-level one-day race and the winning of the British Cycling Under-23 series as their highlights of 2023.

“Most importantly it’s the race programme that is at risk of stalling, our ability to fund that. There’s so much more great racing in Europe and that’s where we need to go for the best stage racing. There’s a real lack of stage racing in this country.”

Coulson’s appeal for support comes just days after news that Sweetspot, organisers of the Tour of Britain and the Women’s Tour, face liquidation, plunging the future of those two premier events on the British calendar into doubt.

Cycling is a sport almost entirely funded by sponsorship. There are no ticket sales because it is free to watch from the roadside, and very little merchandise to speak of.

Cycling Sheffield sell some products, and run initiatives like win a day in a team car, but not enough to build a budget around.

Mindful of the economic climate, Coulson is not exactly going cap in hand, but he is willing to give local business a nudge to ask: ‘look at what we’re doing for young sportsmen and what we can do for your company, can we work together?’.

“Sheffield is not London, it’s not Manchester,” he adds, “but there’s enough of an economy here in this city and in the region to support a homegrown cycling team for me to make it work.

“It’s all about trying to create something more sustainable and promote the city I’ve spent most of my life in and that I love.

“For Sheffield and the city region, it’s an opportunity to reach shared audiences, support something that’s developing young athletes and young people, promoting the city and the region as a whole.

“You come on board with us and it’s a year-long project. As long as the sponsor has the time and energy, it’s a relationship that can be sustainable and works. I often draw comparisons to companies that sponsor events - that’s one day, or one week, when the weather could be rough, then your value for money is massively impacted.

“With us it’s 365 days and I’ll work with you to find out how to make it work, to ensure you stay with us.”

He adds: “Cycling Sheffield is going into its 11th year. That’s an achievement in itself.

“I’ve seen throughout my career, so many teams come and go. Sadly you can tell when it’s going to happen and I’m always disappointed when I’m proved right.

“It’s easy to think ‘how hard can it be’? Well let me assure you, it’s really hard.

“But we’re not looking for a million quid here, we just need a bit of help.”