Today during Eastbourne Borough FC’s Fans Forum, new owner Simon Leslie announced a ‘ground-breaking’ partnership with the U.S based Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel with a 56-year history of breaking boundaries.

Leslie, as well as the Incoming CEO Alan Williams and new Manager Mark Beard were all present when the exciting new partnership with NCL as the exclusive shirt sponsor for the 2023 season was unveiled, as well as the newly designed kits.

“This is such an exciting time for Eastbourne Borough Football Club,” said new owner of Eastbourne Borough Football Club, Simon Leslie.

“Given my background with the travel industry, I am thrilled to partner with one of the world’s leading cruise brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, to support our vision of community and the importance of mental health awareness amongst the sports industry.”

Priory Lane fans have been a witness to a number of milestone changes to the local football club, including a fresh new team, and an amazing leadership team committed to player care. All of which is a testament to Leslie’s commitment to establishing Eastbourne Borough FC as a community institution dedicated to serving and elevating the lives of the local people.

Together, Eastbourne Borough FC and NCL will team up to support a variety of community-driven initiatives throughout the season to support the club’s overarching mission of supporting the local people, but also as it strives to win promotion out of National League South.

Leslie continued, “The whole town will benefit from our investment in the community and the success of the sporting village we are building here. My dream is to have both a men’s Football League team as well as a Women’s Super League in Eastbourne.”

“As a leading cruise brand, people are at the very centre of everything we do,” said David J Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line.

“We are committed to delivering unforgettable experiences, whether that is on board with our guests, with our global team members and crew, and even within the communities that we work with or simply, inspire us. Similar to cruising, the sports community really brings people together and it provides such a beautiful camaraderie. Simon, has been a great partner to us in the past during his time at Ink, and now we are looking forward to supporting his mission of elevating not only the passionate team at Eastbourne, but the local community as well.”

Norwegian Cruise Line sails to 400 destinations around the world across its soon-to-be 19-ship fleet. This summer it will have nine ships sailing in Europe including two of its newest ground-breaking ships, Norwegian Prima and the brand-new Norwegian Viva which debuts this August. Nine NCL ships will sail in Europe this summer with itineraries to the Mediterranean, Greek Isles, Iceland and Northern Europe, four of which will embark from Southampton, England. For more information about Norwegian Cruise Line and its itineraries, please visit www.ncl.com.

Eastbourne Borough’s National League South season gets underway on Saturday 5 August 2023, with supporters able to take advantage of a ‘Owner’s Welcome’ Season Ticket for a discounted price until midnight on Saturday 8 July 2023 from our online ticket shop. Please visit ebfc.onlineticketseller.com for further information.

“I’d like to thank David and everyone at Norwegian Cruise Line for their support and partnership in what we are trying to achieve,” Leslie adds. “This is an exciting day for Eastbourne Borough FC and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”