From Hollywood to Heacham… Heacham Manor gets behind local football club
Announcing its sponsorship of Heacham Football Club in August, Heacham Manor is set to support the club’s growth and continued development. We caught up with Heacham Manor’s managing director, Paul Searle, the team’s new manager, Paul Hunt, and Circle Waste’s managing director, Chris Dear, who helped to bring the two local icons together.
Heacham Manor and Heacham Football Club, a natural partnership
Much has been written about why actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Welsh football club Wrexham in 2020, a passion piece which reignited a community club that went on to score a heart-stopping goal in the 91st minute of a FA Trophy semi-final against Stockport in 2022, and a return to the Football League just a year later.
As Hollywood tales go, it doesn’t get much better and, while there is no implication of a buyout or takeover, the passion for supporting a local community club is surprisingly infectious and partly the reason behind Heacham Manor’s recently announced Match Day Sponsorship of Heacham Football Club for the 2024/25 season.
“We are lifelong sport and football fans,” explains Paul Searle, whose family owns Heacham Manor in the village and Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton. “Having heard about the club’s success and rise through the leagues (Heacham Football Club is currently in the Eastern Counties League of the Premier Division) in recent years, and to discover that it is still very much a local club, is hugely impressive.
“We’ve always sought to invest in the local community, and at Searles we’ve supported the Hunstanton band stand, and are 50 per cent shareholders in the town’s Princess Theatre. In Heacham, we’ve previously been involved in the village’s carnival, but when the opportunity came about to get behind Heacham Football Club, we jumped at the chance!
“It’s fantastic to be able to support the club and, along with seeing our branding on the programme cover, billboards and media backdrop, we want to be actively involved – Heacham Manor’s senior management team will be be at every game and help to choose and present the Man of the Match award. We want to create a strong working relationship with the whole club, inviting the team to enjoy lunch at The Pavilion at Heacham Manor, and we also hope to bring some of our business partners along to matches and maybe they’d like to get involved too.”
On the ball – meet The Magpies’ manager
Alongside Heacham Manor’s sponsorship, the announcement of a new manager, Paul Hunt, in late April has added momentum to the team’s 2024/25 season. Formerly at Wisbech St Mary’s, Lynn Reserves and Swaffham Town, Hunt has played and managed at the Thurlow Nunn League level for more than three decades. “Before I took on the manager’s job, I spoke with everyone involved with the team – the facilities are excellent, the investors and volunteers are passionate and the players have done so well over the past few seasons, it felt like a good mix.
“The pre-season was a time to integrate the new players who had played for me at previous clubs and the players who stayed with the club from the previous season. Royce Rawlings, who was last year’s captain, has moved into a coaching and assistant manager to support me and we’ve spent time pre-season working with the team and are looking forward to seeing them bed down over the season. The Thurlow Nunn League is a tough one, so our approach and mindset needs to be highly competitive.
“Sponsorship makes a huge difference – Heacham Manor and Searles are so well-known and widely respected locally, and the fact that they want to be an active sponsor is the cherry on top! I know how invested in sport Heacham Manor and Searles have been over the years, and to choose to support Heacham Football Club is a great compliment to everyone involved.”
Heacham’s big-game players – uniting the community
With a new sponsor, new manager and new leadership in place behind the scenes, Heacham Football Club is well-positioned to build on its rise through the leagues in recent years. One person who has watched keenly from the sidelines and is helping to create a sure footing for the club off the pitch is Circle Waste’s managing director Chris Dear.
“My son (Ben Dear) has played with the Heacham First Team for four years and I’ve loved the environment. Having got to know the club, the group of people involved in its running are committed to improving and promoting Heacham and, while the club has grown on the pitch to reach a semi-professional level, this hasn’t necessarily been matched off the pitch.
“When Heacham’s long-serving chairman David Page decided to step down, he asked me to take on the role and, while I initially said no, a few weeks passed and it was clear that the club needed help and a strategy implementing to ensure the club’s financial stability. I then stepped into the role on a short-term basis to help develop this strategy. Together with a number of local business people from around West Norfolk, we have created a funding model which has structure and transparency for the long-term.
“One of the first steps we took was to sell additional hoarding boards around the pitch which are a low-cost way for companies to show their support, but collectively contribute to the club’s income. We want to create a sustainable approach to the club’s financial future, and so we approached Heacham Manor to sponsor every home match.
“As a notable hotel and business in the village, its support will make a real difference to the club’s future. We are still a village club and we need help to continue the First Team’s success, and to create a pathway for youngsters with our Under 18s. Results will come, I am sure, and the target for the club is to see gradual improvement on a sustainable footing – with this approach, we have a great opportunity ahead.”