Norwich City earns thanks to fans’ savings

The championship club fans are saving money and saving their club from financial trouble at the same time.

Through a deal with a local financial institution, the club has earned nearly GBP 290,000 this season, and more than GBP 2 million since the plan began in 1997.

The scheme involves savings accounts opened by fans at Norwich and Peterborough Building Society’s known as Canary Accounts. With a Canary Accounty, season-ticket holders that buy tickets in the N&P-sponsored stand can renew their tickets for a 5 percent discount. Starting this year, fans in other stands can buy tickets for a 2 percent discount.

The club gets a cash bonus for every fan that signs up for the plan.

At a home game against fellow championship club Watford, N&P operations director Martyn Willgress presented the club with a record cheque for GBP 289,481.

“We're delighted with how well the Canary Account is working for fans and for the club,” said Willgress, who made the presentation along with club mascot Cap-tain Canary and N&P mascot Splat the Cat. “This is illustrated today with the highest ever payment made to Norwich City, taking the total to over GPB 2 million. This really highlights what a special relationship the club has with its supporters - and long may it continue!”

The club receives a cash bonus of 1 percent of the average total money held in the Canary Accounts over the past 12 months.

“Today's cheque takes the total raised to date to over GBP 2 million and we cannot thank enough both the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and our supporters for their outstanding support for the Canary Account,” Norwich City's director of sales and marketing, Andrew Cullen, said. “The club's successful relationship with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society now stretches back over 13 years, making it one of the longest established sponsorship partnerships in UK football. We are looking forward to working with N&P for many more years to come.”

Without notice or loss of interest, Canary Account holders are offered easy access to their money and are also entitled to one free standard mortgage valuation when applying for a mortgage with N&P.