The University of Cumbria and Carlisle United Football Club are working together on a new project to support local communities.
Vice chancellor Professor Julie Mennell DL welcomed Carlisle United’s new owners Tom and Patty Piatak to the university’s Fusehill Street campus, situated less than a mile from the League One club’s Brunton Park ground.
They were joined by United’s chief executive Nigel Clibbens, finance director Suzanne Kidd, and board member Matt Spooner for a meeting on Thursday 1st February, the transfer deadline.
The group discussed how the university and club can work together to engage local communities, promote Carlisle as a destination, and contribute to the city’s vibrancy and vitality.
Professor Julie Mennell DL said: “It was great to meet with Tom and Patty and the wider team to hear their vision for the club and to discuss how our two organisations can deliver even greater benefit to Carlisle and our communities.
“It’s an exciting time to be working with them. I look forward to developing our partnership further and to what will follow from this important city-based collaboration.”
Carlisle United’s chief executive Nigel Clibbens said: “We’ve talked about ways that we can all work together and how fantastic the university’s doing, and how it is going to develop in the future.
“We want to show our support for the students, staff and the institution as it grows.”
Club chairman Tom Piatak said: “The future of this city is very bright. It takes a village and everyone working together, and we look forward to working with the University of Cumbria, the city and Carlisle United to be the best that we can be.”
Film and TV students from the university’s Institute of Education, Arts and Society will be working with Carlisle United and other partners on Be Just and Fear Not, a new lottery-funded project to preserve the football club’s legacy as it prepares to mark 50 years since achieving promotion to the First Division in the 1974-75 season.
