The AIR Group have given their backing to the Ladies Carp Team ahead of what will be their biggest year of international carp match fishing yet, with the first ever Women’s World Championships being held on home soil in the UK in 2020.

The AIR Group, which formed a few months ago with 10 of the country’s top independent angling retail stores (the members of the AIR Group are listed at the bottom of this article) joining forces, has three main objectives: To promote angling, to support innovation, and to secure the long-term future of our sport. Their mission statement is ‘To help all to a greater knowledge, understanding and love of angling.’

Bev Clifford, Ladies Carp Team England Manager, commented: “We are thrilled to have the support of the AIR Group. Browns Angling sponsored us last year and it was great to have the backing of a company that’s so invested in the future of angling and it was great working with them. To now have the increased backing of the full AIR Group is fantastic and I’ve worked with a lot of the retailers over the years and to now have them supporting the ladies’ team is very exciting. Their financial support will be a massive help in this very exciting year for Ladies Carp Team England and women’s angling in general.”

Kevin Peet of The Tackle Box commented: “The AIR group was formed for many different reasons, and one was to support any activity that promoted angling to the general public, so when the opportunity to sponsor the England ladies came along the group voted unanimously to do so. The days of angling being a male dominated sport are behind us, angling is for all, regardless of age or gender so what better way to illustrate this than to highlight the existence of a very successful team of women anglers. The AIR Group is honored to be associated with them, and we wish them every success for the coming year and beyond.”

Steve Lee of Browns Angling commented: “Having sponsored the ladies carp team solely this year under Browns Angling, it was only right to get the AIR Group involved with the Ladies team for next year which will be a massive year for them. It’s important as an independent retailer to put back into this sport and we will continue long-term as Browns Angling, and more importantly, the AIR group too be involved in fundraising, charity work and sponsorship deals, that will in courage new blood into the sport. The AIR Group wish the ladies the best of luck next year and I’m sure on home ground they will be successful. IT’S COMING HOME.”

Members of the AIR Group:

• Browns Angling
• The Tackle Box
• Carp Scene
• The Carp Store
• Fatfish Tackle
• Total Angling
• HF Angling
• Arun Angling
• Johnson Ross
• Wickersley Angling
• Yateley Angling Centre

Find out more about Carp Team England over on the team’s website here.

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