HORNDEAN Football Club has made a superb start to the season with the undefeated Deans leading the way in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division.

But they’re also performing brilliantly off the pitch as they’ve started the new season with a record number of sponsors.

That means extra revenue for the Five Heads Park outfit, which has also received additional income from a new shop and revamped clubhouse.

The commercial push is largely down to Joe Albertella since the first team Director of Football and webmaster has secured many sponsors through the use of social media.

“We’ve improved on the pitch but we need to adapt off it as well,” said Mr Albertella, who bills himself as the club’s “figurehead for advertising”.

“We need the infrastructure to keep things on track and without all the sponsorship we’ve received from local firms and businesses we probably wouldn’t be doing as well.

“The interest we’ve received this season is the best I’ve known. We’ve got Jackson Groundworks and KKA Maintenance on board, who have helped us out a lot in the past, but there’s so many more on top of them and it will all help with ground development.”

The club shop has also been an early hit and is something of a treasure trove, with programmes from the 1966 World Cup and early Premiership years among the stock.

Clubs around the country, from Macclesfield Town to Sutton United, have provided stock with Mr Albertella getting extra programmes on a daily basis.

It might be a while before a Horndean FC Megastore appears in Waterlooville town centre but there’s nothing wrong with showing some ambition.

He added: “We’re showing as much ambition as we can and we’re always trying to improve.”