Penman Sedgwick has celebrated its long-running commitment to the Watford community by joining the Watford FC Regional Partner Programme. Based close to Watford town centre, the firm of solicitors receive Premier League brand exposure through their association with the Football Club, being displayed in front of thousands of supporters throughout every game at Vicarage Road.
The business was formed in 2013 through a merger of two local firms, Penman Johnson and Sedgwick Kelly. Combining the two firms has provided Penman Sedgwick with a combined history of more than 175 years of helping local people. With a range of practice areas, their clients range from local businesses, schools and churches to national and international companies, and include a significant private client base, which has built through its long-running practice in this area. Having previously sponsored a local women’s cricket team, Jacqueline Alderton, a Partner in the law firm, explained how the Watford FC partnership has benefited the business:
“The local community is very important to what we do. Whilst we have some clients coming from further afield, our local clients are people whom we have had long-established relationships with, going back years and even decades.
“Watford is a community-based town and it’s not like your big cities, where you might have more than one football team. In Watford, we’re talking about one team and we feel fortunate to be associated with a Premier League club. Our office is actually very close to the ground: we’re five minutes’ walk away. We’ve always been attracted by the idea of developing a relationship with the club, it helps us demonstrate local pride.”
The Watford FC Regional Partner Programme stems from a partnership between Eleven Sports Media and the Football Club. As a Regional Partner, Penman Sedgwick’s corporate branding is displayed on crowd-facing digital LED boards, as well as featuring on StadiumTV and StatTV screens within the concourses.
Moreover, the solicitors are featured on StatTracker social media content that is shared on to the club’s official social channels, ensuring that the company continue to build a relationship with supporters outside of matchday.
Penman Sedgwick are also invited to exclusive Regional Partner events, which have included Q&A evenings with former Watford players and a stadium tour, providing opportunities to network with like-minded local businesses. Additionally, the firm is provided with a selection of matchday hospitality tickets, which has had a positive impact on the business, as Jacqueline Alderton explained:
“I’ve been working in Watford for 25 years and a number of our staff are committed Watford fans, so it’s been good for the team to feel like they’ve got a connection with Watford FC. In the first week we were associated with the club, we saw our branding appear on Match of the Day and some of our clients spotted us.
“We use the Regional Partner logo on our website because I think it shows our connection with the town and with the area. It gives us an opportunity to showcase our association with the football club.
“We’ve gained some work directly from being associated and seen at Watford games. Our brand awareness will continue to grow, the longer we are linked to the club, and it has helped us expand our network of local businesses.”
