It was only last year the Wellington Cowboys had one sponsor and couldn't afford playing kits.
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With plenty of local support the club bounced back in 2023 with positive progress on and off the field and now a major sponsorship deal is set to take things to a new level.
Squadron Energy has come on as a major sponsor for the junior and senior clubs, providing the Cowboys with financial support and stability.
"It's a massive relief," Cowboys first-grade captain-coach Justin Toomey-White said.
"It's been well-documented we had one sponsor two seasons ago and it was a lot of hard work from previous committee members and the members and players we've had since but it shows what hard work and determination does.
"Our little committee strives for greatness. Our players and our community will benefit from this."
Squadron Energy is a renewable energy company which currently runs the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm near Mudgee and has three other projects in development in the Orana region.
One of those is the Uungula Wind Farm outside of Wellington. The Spicers Creek Wind Farm between Gulgong and Wellington and the Dubbo Firming Power Station are the others.
For Squadron Energy CEO Jason Willoughby, the move allows his company to really be part of the community and more involvement in the Wellington region is planned.
Concerns had been raised around the project - and others in the region - in regards to pressure it would put on accommodation in Wellington and what benefit it would have for the town given a large number of workers are expected to come from elsewhere.
Willoughby said there has been plenty of support for the project but delivering for the community will be a key component.
"The future is really bright for Wellington," Willoughby said.
"It's in a position where it's going to be a focal point for some of the projects around here and there's some great things about community.
"The onus and responsibility is on us to keep being a valuable member of the community.
"We've got to do the right thing and support the community. We've got to provide economic activity, we've got to provide jobs, we've got to provide ways of sharing the benefit. We don't want to create a burden for the community.
"We're going to be building and we're conscious things like accommodation are challenging in a community like Wellington so we've got to come up with ways of not adding to it.
"We've got to figure out ways of solving challenges in conjunction with the community. We need to say what can we do to help and be a part of the community and this is the first initiative of a few we'll be announcing."
The move to support the Cowboys started through a conversation Willoughby was having with Squadron Energy employee Mick McGuire.
McGuire is the site manager for the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm and lives at Wellington. His advice was connecting with the Cowboys was key to connecting with the community.
The sponsorship will be a positive for the entire community and not just the football side of things, according to Wellington Cowboys Junior Rugby League Club vice president Jody Blackhall.
"In Wellington, it's more than rugby league," she said.
"It gives our families a place to gather and engage while supporting the under sixes to 16s on a Saturday and then league tag to first grade on Sunday."
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
