Premier Farnell is a high performance company and when they were looking to partner with an athlete that truly embodied those same values they turned to Catch Sport to aid in the search for the right athlete. The Company proudly announced its sponsorship of Paralympic cyclist David Stone on 21 April 2010.

This partnership ensures that David will benefit from funding provided by the electronic components distributor, and he has already begun working with Premier Farnell by addressing company delegates at a conference in Lyon last month and contributing to a blog on the Company’s online community, element14 (http://www.element-14.com/community/people/DavidStone/blog).

Premier Farnell, whose UK office is based in Leeds, saw an opportunity to showcase the technology that enables sport in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games. Each region of the company has chosen an athlete to sponsor and support in their quest for Gold. Using Catch Sport’s “athlete search” facility, the company were able to shortlist a number of athletes who were put through interviews. David Stone’s experience, personality and technological interest shone through and he was selected as the first UK based athlete ever sponsored by Premier Farnell.

Sam Bridgstock, Company Lawyer for Premier Farnell, who led the sponsorship project in the UK said “Catch Sport provided an invaluable service in helping Premier Farnell find David Stone. We wanted an athlete who exemplified high performance, who was down to earth and likeable, who had links to technology and who had aspirations of winning gold in London 2012 and David is definitely the perfect fit. I am not sure how we could have found David without Catch Sport's knowledge, help and guidance”

Commenting on the partnership, David Stone added, “Catch Sport has made possible an excellent partnership between Premier Farnell and myself. I found the whole process; from being requested for information about myself to signing the contract, fluid and transparent. Since then, my work with Premier Farnell has been an amazing experience, I have been warmly welcomed and embraced by the company’s employees. This partnership will help me to further develop my speed on the trike in pursuit of Golds in London.”

Gareth Sheppard, Performance Manager, British Cycling said, “It is fantastic that Catch Sport have been able to secure this sponsorship deal for one of our top Para-cyclists and that Premier Farnell are supporting David in his quest for Gold. With less than 800 days to go until the Paralympic Games in London, the count down has began, and I’m sure this additional support will really help David in his preparation for London.”

Catch Sport’s MD, Karim Bashir, was extremely positive about his company bringing together another Paralympic athlete with a sponsor saying, “David has already captured the hearts of the people at Premier Farnell by providing a moving speech at a recent conference. The feedback has been phenomenal. Having won two gold medals at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, David already has a great story to tell. I wish him and Premier Farnell great success as they work together in the run up to our home Games.”

ENDS