Community input from Custom!

It’s easy to overlook your local community and the valuable resources it provides to businesses, so we didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to ‘put something back’ into ours when asked by a local football team for financial support for their promising under 10’s team.
Stanton Ilkeston FC began life in 1921 as Stanton FC, the works team of a local company, Stanton Ironworks, hence their nickname ‘The Ironmen’. This company provided employment for many generations of Ilkeston people (including the father of the Chairman of Custom Group Ltd) and at it’s peak employed over 12,000 individuals. The Stanton company itself originates back to 1846 and during it’s 160 year history has produced products ranging from tunnel supports to street lighting, but is most famous for the manufacture of steel and concrete pipes. During both world wars production was diverted to war effort products, largely artillery/bomb casings of which over 873,000 were produced in the second world war alone. This attracted an unsuccessful bombing raid on the town by a German Heinkel 111 bomber in September 1940. In the post war years the plant underwent many changes in ownership and sadly cast it's last pipe in 2007.
Football was a favourite activity at the works, with inter departmental games in addition to a colts and representative team. The Stanton FC badge, still used today, depicted a horse with an arrow in it’s chest, illustrating the death of ‘horse’ power to the more modern and ever developing steel based railway network and motor car production.
Although Stanton Ilkeston FC no longer has any direct links with it’s creator, the football club has enjoyed many decades of success and has grown into a community based organisation with a membership of over 250 players. Today, the primary aim of the club is to offer an opportunity for children and adults of all ages and abilities to play football. The club is 'not for profit' and is run by a dedicated team of volunteer coaches and back room staff, who are living proof that a community spirit still lives on in Ilkeston some 90 years after the creation of the club.
Custom Group Ltd’s sponsorship of the team enabled them to purchase a new ‘Custom Group Ltd’ liveried kit and associated training equipment for the team. Good luck to the Under 10’s and all other Stanton Ilkeston FC teams, we are very proud to be associated with the club!