Drutex withdraws from sponsoring the first-division Drutex-Bytovia
On 21 May 2018 Drutex terminated the sponsorship agreement with MKS Drutex-Bytovia, announcing that it would continue to support the club’s junior sections in the football nursery.
Drutex has been a football partner for years, both at local as well as national and international level. It has been the main and naming rights sponsor of Drutex-Bytovia Bytów for over 15 years. The team has come a long way from 5th to 1st football Division. Its numerous achievements include i.a.: perfect performance in a few editions of the Polish Cup, among other the participation in the quarterfinals of the games, as well as the above mentioned advancement to higher divisions, up to the back door to Top League.
Drutex together with the team have always aimed high and managed to fulfill their goals. Unfortunately, Top League games have been out of reach due to the current infrastructure and sports facilities as well as the results of the first team.
However, it is important that Drutex actions, whose decision to support the then 5th division team resulted from the will to get involved in CRS actions and local ideas, have enabled to create in Bytów a professional, top-level successful team that is well known among fans in Poland. Thanks to such activities we have been able to create football with a capital ‘F’, to infect children and teenagers with passion for football, to show that in Bytów you can train and educate players who will be high-achievers in the future. Cooperation on such a level must be continued and the company will promote it, in a modified form.
„We have been successful with Drutex-Bytovia. If fact we need to say that we have achieved the achievable. We realize that possible advancement to Top League apart from unquestionable sports success would be impossible to consume, bearing in mind previous experience of clubs from other towns similar to Bytów, sports facilities that would require dramatic change as well as the potential number of fans who would be interested in supporting the team’’ – says Adam Leik, marketing director at Drutex.
Drutex, for the last few years as the main sponsor of Drutex-Bytovia has spent huge sums, probably the highest that have ever been allocated to a 1st division team. However, for us it did not come down to the financial aspect since what counted was the local community, doing something for inhabitants of Bytów and the surroundings. However, we realize that supporting the local community including children and teenagers, must include many dimensions, not just sports aspects, in order to reach the widest possible group of our inhabitants.
Undeniably, the great MKS Drutex-Bytovia achievement has been the football nursery where ca. 200 children attend classes in various age groups. It is a huge potential that we will continue to support. Care of their development and sports success will still be our priority especially that we can already see the results of the work. We have also made a decision to support the inhabitants of our town, especially the youngest ones, also in a number of other forms e.g. supporting educational development that aims at equipping children and teenagers with up-to-date knowledge and competencies i.a. in foreign languages, modern technologies, support for childcare, patronage of most talented children and teenagers etc. We are convinced that it will make our actions more widespread than before.
Bytów is a small town with thriving companies, ambitious young people, sports achievements. There are many fields that need promoting, financial support and a partner with global range. We do not operate in a vacuum, and the signals that we receive from the local community confirm that allocating a part of funds to broad science and culture is the proper action.
We realize that our decision will directly affect the participation of MKS Drutex-Bytovia in the games at the back door to Top League but, bearing in mind the football tradition in our town we are convinced that senior football will still be present in our city, but it may rely more on players who come from Bytów, especially our football nursery, and those who belong to the wider sponsor base. This is our wish for us and the fans of the local football.
Thank you for your fruitful cooperation with the Club and we wish it good luck in the future.