Leicester Basketball Club is delighted to announce a new sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes. Coupled with the tremendous response from the club’s fans, the deal secures Riders’ participation in this season’s BBL and gives a solid base to build a secure future.

The deal will see the club called the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders for the 2007/08 season.

The club had a fantastic response from the supporters at a meeting on Tuesday night and, as well as their pledges of help and support, they also played a significant part in securing the deal with Jelson.

“We recently became aware of the Riders plight and wanted to see how we could help,” explained Jelson’s Managing Director Robert Jelley. “When we came to the fans’ meeting and saw the dedication and commitment of the Riders supporters we couldn’t wait to get involved. We saw what this team means to the community and wanted to be a part of it.”

The deal, one of the most financially substantial in the club’s history, will allow for the establishment of a community development programme which is integral to the long-term future of the club.

“This has turned out to be a fantastic week for the club,” said spokesman Mike Steptoe. “The response we got from our supporters has been brilliant and we will continue to need that commitment from them in the year ahead. And the deal with Jelson Homes is probably one of the most significant in the club’s 40-year history, we’re really excited about the partnership with them.”

The club is also delighted to that it has almost hit its target of season ticket sales thanks to an overwhelming response from the supporters in the last three days.

Founded in Leicester in 1889, Jelson has established an enviable reputation as one of the UK’s leading privately owned construction companies. As one of the City’s oldest employers, Jelson recognises the importance of stability in the local community and the majority of the Company’s employee base is drawn from the Leicester area.

Over 200 of the firm’s workforce have achieved more than 25 years of continual service and it is not unusual for several generations of the same family to be employed by the company at any one time. Jelson are delighted to be associated with the DMU Leicester Riders, the oldest and indeed the only remaining founder member of the National League and are thrilled to be a part of the club’s long term plans to engage with the community through their local schools development programme.

The Riders can now set about assembling a side to take on the new campaign which begins in a month’s time.