#12DaysofBGU Day 5: Memorable Year for Lincoln City and BGU

Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) sponsorship of Lincoln City Football Club has proven beneficial to both the University and the club this year.

The FA Cup trophy paid a very special visit to BGU in March ahead of Lincoln City's historic quarter-final against Arsenal. BGU staff and students queued up to get a glimpse of the famous trophy and pose for a photo. It was a surreal and memorable day for all involved!

The famous trophy visited BGU as part of our ongoing sponsorship of Lincoln City Football Club. The partnership has gone from strength to strength throughout a memorable 2017.

Managed by Danny and his assistant, brother Nicky Cowley, the Imps beat Ipswich, Brighton and Burnley on their way to becoming the first non-league team in 103 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. There they faced Premier League giants Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium where, after a spirited first half display from City, they eventually succumbed to a 5-0 defeat.

Lincoln City capped off their historic 2016/17 season by winning the National League and gaining promotion to League 2, ending a run of six years out of the Football League.

Throughout the Imps’ fantastic season there was a familiar splash of purple among the famous red and white stripes as the BGU logo sits proudly on the home shirt. The BGU logo was never more visible than during the FA Cup third round replay against Ipswich.

Purple advertising boards behind the two managers were noticeable during the BBC1 television coverage and Nathan Arnold even had the decency to score the winning goal while our message was displaying on the digital advertising boards around the pitch!

The partnership between BGU and Lincoln City, however, is about much more than advertising, and it is something that means a lot to Danny Cowley.

He said, “we are really thankful for the partnership, the University was so close that we wanted to create a true partnership.

“The partnership was already formed (when we arrived at the club) so we built on that, there’s some great people coming out of the University, some young hardworking people who we can build relationships with that can help this club moving forward.”

One brilliant example of the partnership in action came in December 2016, when BGU sports students had the unique opportunity to be coached by the City manager with a session led and delivered by Danny Cowley.

Chelsey Grayson, a first year student, thought that “the session gave us really good insight into the daily life of a coach and also all the planning and commitment that goes into it. It was good to see a coach in action and it will help a lot with my studies and assignments.”

Outside the classroom our cheerleading squad, the BGU Lions have also had fantastic opportunities thanks to the partnership with Lincoln City. They have performed in front of crowds of around 10,000 fans at Sincil Bank, not to mention live on BBC1 in the third round of the FA Cup.

Louiscia Mcleod, President of the BGU Cheerleading Society, explained that performing at Sincil Bank has been “an incredible experience. The fans are so lively and supportive. The atmosphere really just makes the whole night!”

Have you been inspired by Lincoln City? Find out more about studying Sport at BGU.