Cities new sponsor is a welcome addition to the team

RIE Group has come on board ahead of the new season, sponsoring the Roma Cities under-18 side.

TEAMWORK: Mark Street, president of Roma Cities RLFC, with Bruce Chapman and Jamie Short of RIE. Picture: Jorja McDonnell

RUGBY LEAGUE: ROMA Cities under-18 side will have a fresh new look for their young side this year, with jerseys to feature the logo of the team's second major sponsor.

RIE Group has jumped on board with the local club, as they expand their business from Chinchilla to Roma.

Cities club president, Mark Street, said he is looking forward to having the team at RIE on board for the upcoming footy season.

"Up until this season we have only had the one under-18s sponsor, which was Sharpe Engineering, and we have been around for many years.

"In all of the other grades we had introduced second sponsor, and when the opportunity came up RIE said they wanted to come on as a major sponsor, so we have them joining us for 2019 and hopefully beyond,” he said.

The support stretches much further than just one team, said Street, who stressed the importance of their supporters, including sponsors and volunteers, in growing the century-old club into what it is today.

"For the club, it is so important; if it wasn't for our sponsors, we wouldn't be where we are today.

"They are what makes our club and keeps it running along with the volunteers.

"As a club we are going quite well - we own our own facilities including the two ovals, we have the Carnarvon Cubs juniors coming out to play here this year, and they will merge in to become a part of us,” he said.

RIE has been embedding the business into the local community for over a decade, and believes footy is one of the best ways to connect people across the region.

"RiE is serious about our commitment to the local region in which we live and operate.

We want to expand our reach and contribution from Roma all the way through to Dalby. We are looking for a win-win-win outcome....success for RiE, our Clients and Community” he said.

"One of the reasons we got behind the under-18s is that they are the up-and-comers, they are the ones who aspire to play A-grade or even further. Which reflects the team at RiE, which is a balance of local experience and youth with fresh ideas and a passion to succeed.”

"Eventually we want to support the under-18s in Dalby, Chinchilla and Roma for the next few years, because for us it is about linking them and the Region together.

"I'd love to see a RiE-sponsored Roma-Chinchilla grand final in the under-18s in the coming years - that would be fantastic,” he said.

"Another reason for the visibility is to keep locals in town through offering trainee and apprenticeship opportunities”, Chapman said.

"Jamie and Elena, the owners of RiE, are passionate about employing locals (Western Downs and Maranoa), especially young school leavers wanting an Instrument & Electrical Trade, so they don't have to leave the Region. There are great opportunities for school leavers if we can collectively work together (Asset Owners, Major Contractors, local suppliers, Chambers, Council)”, he said.