Welsh club turns to eBay for sponsor

Total Network Solutions, the Welsh Premier League champions, put the club’s name on the auction block in attempt to find a new sponsor. It is believed to be the first time a football club has used the internet to secure a sponsorship.
 
The highest bid so far on auction site eBay is GBP 12,935.90. The auction will close 4 May.
 
The club in Llansantffraid, Powys, have been looking for a sponsor since TNS Ltd was bought by British Telecom (BT).  Since buying the club, Shropshire-based TNS Ltd has led the team to Welsh Premier titles, the Welsh Cup and the Champions League. TNS, called Llansantffraid FC until 1997, have already qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League by winning the Welsh Premier League title. Last summer, TNS played Liverpool in a two-leg Champions League tie.
 
“We were thinking of the best way to attract a new sponsor and eBay seemed the quickest and easiest way to do it,” said club spokeswoman Carla Evans. “It's a pretty rare opportunity and whoever wins will have the chance to name the team.”
 
TNS’s ties with the club ended with a 2-0 defeat at Aberystwyth in the final match of the 2005-06 season.  The search for a sponsor was sparked by TNS Ltd's acquisition by telecommunications giant BT in an October deal.  BT said it would not be involved with the football club.
 
The club’s success on the pitch has been exceeded by its award-winning owners in the boardroom.  Mike Harris, managing director of the company now called BT TNS, said his firm's sponsorship deal with the club had been largely responsible for the rapid growth of TNS Ltd.