Lane Electronics Sponsors Billingshurst Football Club
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We are very pleased and proud to announce our sponsorship of Billingshurst F.C. for the coming season. As a family-owned company we are always looking for ways to support the local community around Horsham where we have been located for the last 56 years since the foundation of our company by Fred Lane.
Lane electronics supplies advanced connector solutions and accessories to a wide range of high-tech markets such as defence, aerospace and demanding industrial applications, and through our sister company, Lane Motorsport, to motorsports of all kinds. Remaining a successful family run business in the highly competitive world of the global electronics industry is a testament to our founder Fred Lane, the current management team, and the commitment of our workforce.
The new “valued sponsor” contribution will be visible at the football ground in the form of one end being renamed the “FC Lane Terrace” for the duration of the sponsorship, which we anticipate continuing for next season. We will also benefit from mentions in the Football Club’s social media, enhancing our position in the local community.
Billingshurst FC is a family orientated club that is run purely by volunteers who have worked hard to make sure that the club continues to move forward, they maintain the ambition to improve the facilities for all ages of players coming through the club making sure the club continues to grow and sponsorship is a key part of their income.
Football is very close to the heart of our founder who’s off-duty passion has always been football. For many years Fred Lane was a top Sussex referee and in 1969 he had the honour to be one of the officials at the FA Cup final between Leicester City and Manchester City (Manchester City won 1 – 0). Even at the grand age of 91 Fred is still very much “on the ball” and a passionate football fan.
Billingshurst F.C. was founded in 1891 and were initially members of the Horsham League before joining the West Sussex Football league at the time of its inception. They won the West Sussex Premier League in 2012 and were promoted to the Sussex County League. They currently run three men's sides, the first team competing in the Southern Combination Football League (SCFL) Division 1 - the first time in their history they have played senior football. The reserves play in the West Sussex Championship North and the third team are in Division 3 North. There is also an Under 18 team that competes in the SCFL U18 League.
The club have achieved FA charter Standard status – a formal recognition of being well run and were recently beneficiaries of a Sport England grant to improve the facilities at the Jubilee Fields ground to allow the Senior team to continue its growth through the higher leagues.
The club now has a 100-seater stand, a fully enclosed ground and floodlights around the senior pitch, as well as hard standing around two sides of the pitch which were required for Division 1 of the SCFL.
Lane Electronics has been based at Slinfold Lodge, Horsham, since 1970. At the time the Lodge was an imposing country house set in its own grounds but readily convertible into office premises and, crucially, with the space to build modern assembly and test facilities on site. Slinfold Lodge remains the headquarters for FC Lane Electronics and the connector manufacturer Weald Electronics which, together, make up Fred and Rosemary Lane’s Lodge Group.