Newcastle Jets players, management and staff will travel in style to selected Hyundai A-League matches, community engagement initiatives and pre-season trips from now on after respected local bus and coach company Sid Fogg’s Coaches put the finishing touches on a distinctive Jets branded coach on Friday.
In an tremendous show of support from Sid Fogg’s Coaches – an organisation that has been servicing the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and the Central Coast for some 60 years – the company has fully decorated one of their brand new coaches in Jets livery.
Like many Jets players the Club’s exceptional new coach – the first of its kind in the Hyundai A-League – has taken an international journey before arriving in Newcastle.
Indeed, Sid Fogg’s Coaches purchased a Scania chassis in Sweden before transporting it to Brazil. While in South America, an Irizar body was added to the base. Once complete the coach was shipped to Melbourne, before making its way to the Hunter Valley. Over the past week Trick Group has brought the bus to life by adding Jets branding on behalf of Sid Fogg’s Coaches.
Graham Habgood, who has owned Sid Fogg’s Coaches in partnership with his wife Kathy for almost thirty years, said his organisation is proud to support the region’s flagship football franchises.
“We have two professional football teams in the city and we support both of them,” Habgood said. “We’re proud to have had a Knights coach for many years, and now we have a Jets coach.”
“We feel that this coach will be a symbol of pride for the people of the city. If the team arrives at Sydney Football Stadium in a branded bus it is a big statement that Newcastle has arrived and that the Club is a force to be reckoned with.”
“We have long supported the area’s sporting and community groups, and we believe that Newcastle people shouldn’t be shy about their presence,” he said.
Newcastle Jets Chief Executive Officer Lawrie McKinna thanked Graham, Kathy, and the team at Sid Fogg’s Coaches for their extraordinary commitment to the Club.
“This is a truly fantastic show of support in the Jets from a highly regarded local company,” McKinna said. “By doing this for us Sid Fogg’s Coaches are actually demonstrating confidence in the Club’s journey, as well as the efforts we have made to connect with the community.”
“We will be utilising this coach for as many trips as possible, however the first team to ride in it will in fact be Liaoning Whowin FC from the Chinese Super League who will step onboard tomorrow as part of their pre-season tour in the region.”
“Sid Fogg’s Coaches will have the coach parked in the western precinct at McDonald Jones Stadium on Monday night when we play Melbourne Victory, so we encourage our members and fans to come to the game and take a photo with the bus prior to kick-off,” he concluded.
