© International Island Games Association
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 Recognition for NatWest Island Games sponsorship The International Island Games Association has announced that NatWest has further extended its sponsorship agreement of the NatWest Island Games until July 2009, to include the NatWest Island Games in Aland. NatWest also has first option to extend the agreement further until 2011. This week it was also announced that NatWest has been shortlisted for the 2006 Hollis awards, the UK’s major sponsorship awards, in the Sponsorship Continuity category. The other shortlisted nominees are NatWest UK, for their 25 years of cricket sponsorship, Flora for the London Marathon, Tennant’s Lager for T in the Park and Unilever for the Unilever Art Series. In the latest NatWest Island Games sponsorship agreement, the structure of the sponsorship payments has been redrawn to recognise the fact that staging the Games is becoming ever more expensive. From now on, the host island will benefit from increased funding. Brian Partington, Chairman of the IGA said, ‘Our relationship with our main sponsor is now in its eighth year and the partnership brings added value for both parties with each successive year. We meet regularly with NatWest to review and refresh our agreement and the IGA is keen to support host islands in the significant task they face in mounting such a major event.’ Apart from financial support for both the IGA and the host islands, the NatWest Sports Development Scheme has contributed directly to the improvement of coaching standards in many member-islands. In the last eight years, over £85,000 has been given towards local schemes, the most recent grants going to support football in Jersey, Gymnastics in Aland, Athletics in Orkney and Volleyball in Gotland, amongst others. But both the IGA and NatWest want to encourage more applications from any member island association wishing to improve the standard of local coaching in Games sports.’ Ian Henderson, Chief Executive of RBS International, which includes NatWest, is fully supportive of the sponsorship. He says, ‘I only took over as CEO a few days before the last Games in Shetland, but was determined to attend the opening ceremony and some of the first competitions. I was struck by the scale of the event and the way in which competitors from across the world were able to build friendships and mutual understanding through friendly sporting competition. ‘I met a number of our staff competitors from around the offshore bank, along with representatives from RBS Shetland, who sponsored the golf event, all of whom were justifiably proud of the event and of our association with it. The fact that this is the second time that our sponsorship of the Games has been recognised at national level is a measure of what a successful agreement it has been for both sides over the last eight years’ Thanks to the support from NatWest, the biennial Games has developed into a major international multi-sport event. The IGA-family has grown substantially since NatWest came onto the scene. Today there are 25 member islands, the most recent members being the Western Isles and Menorca. The NatWest Island Games in Rhodes in 2007 is likely to involve as many competitors as this year’s winter Olympics in Turin. There are two islands bidding to host the Games in 2011, the Isle of Wight and Bermuda. Representatives of the IGA Executive Committee have undertaken fact-finding visits to both islands recently and will be presenting their reports to the rest of the Executive at their meeting later this month Contacts: Brian Partington IGA Chairman (07624 498917) based IoM
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