Manchester-based Coolair Equipment has teamed up with one of the region’s oldest hockey clubs, sponsoring the Men's First Team.

The amateur sports club, founded in 1877, prides itself on having the best facilities in the North West, including a purpose-built clubhouse and two astroturf pitches that enable members from the age of five to over 50 to play hockey all year round.

Coolair is backing the Men’s First XI this season in its bid for promotion from the North Hockey Men’s Premier Division to the National League, with the support of coach and former Trinidad and Tobago international player, Albert Marcano, and new goalkeeper and current Trinidad and Tobago star, Kwasi Emmanuel.

The company, whose distinctive blue logo will be emblazoned on the front of team shirts and new pitch-side banners, has links with Timperley Hockey Club through one of its engineers, Andy Wareham, who is the First Team’s vice-captain.

It also shares a culture of youth development and community support with the club, whose juniors are nurtured through an academy system in which they gain both sporting and life skills as they progress to older age groups.

Jackie Morgan, Timperley’s marketing and sponsorship manager, said: “Having supported us for a number of years through donations, we are delighted that Coolair has stepped up to be the main sponsor of our Men’s First XI.

“Their contribution will help pay for professional coaching, league and tournament entry fees and kit, as we strive to become a National League side and build on the voluntary support we deliver to local schools and colleges.”