%-----------------------------------------------------------------------
%
%       Sponsorship request letter to Eircom
%	Mark Dennehy
%
%-----------------------------------------------------------------------
%
%	Eircom_Sponsorship_1.tex
%-----------------
%	$Date$
%	$Revision$
%	$State$
%
%-----------------------------------------------------------------------

\documentclass[a4paper,11pt,foldmarks]{akletter}

\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{scrpage}
\usepackage{charter}
\usepackage{euler}
\usepackage[dvips]{graphicx}
\usepackage[dvips]{color}
\usepackage{rcs}
\usepackage[rflt]{floatflt}
\usepackage{picins}
\usepackage[british]{babel}
%\usepackage[light,all]{draftcopy}

\selectlanguage{british}

\RCS $Revision$
\RCS $Author$
\RCS $Date$
\RCS $Header$
\RCS $Locker$
\RCS $RCSfile$
\RCS $Source$
\RCS $State$

\usename{durc}
%\selectlanguage{english}

\definecolor{Heading}{gray}{0.50}
\definecolor{mygrey}{gray}{0.8}
\definecolor{ltgrey}{gray}{0.8}
\definecolor{midgrey}{gray}{0.5}
\definecolor{dkgrey}{gray}{0.2}

%\topmargin -0.5in
%\evensidemargin -0.5in
%\oddsidemargin -0.5in
%\textwidth 7.25in
%\textwidth 7in
%\textheight 9.5in
%\footskip 0.75in


%-----------------------------------------------------------------------
\begin{document}
\begin{letter}{Adrienne Regan, Head of Sponsorship\\
Sponsorship Management\\Corporate Relations\\Eircom\\112-114
St.Stephens Green\\Dublin 2}

\telefax{+353-1-6772204}
\telephone{+353-1-6081281}
\email{Mark.Dennehy@cs.tcd.ie}
\name{Mark Dennehy,\\{\itshape DURC Secretary}\\Vision Lab\\O'Reilly Institute\\Trinity College Dublin\\Dublin 2}
\signature{\rule{3in}{0.01in}\\Mark Dennehy,\\{\itshape DURC Secretary}}


\subject{Dublin University Rifle Club Sponsorship}
\opening{A Chara,}
%-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dublin University Rifle Club is one of the oldest,
largest and most successful sports clubs in the college
today. We celebrate the $40^{th}$ anniversary of the
founding of the modern club this year, and last year saw the
160$^{th}$ anniversary of the original college rifle club.
We boast 335 members ranging in ages from 18 to 56,
making us the fourth largest sporting
club in the college.

We currently count the Irish National 50m and 25yd prone
rifle champions among our members, DURC members act as part
of the National Target Shooting Association committee and we
have been requested by the NTSA to manage the logistics for
this year's Air Rifle Nationals.

This past year alone, DURC members have competed in 24
national-level competitions and four international level
competitions, including two World Cups; we won a total of
34 prizes at these competitions. DURC has had at least one
competitor qualify for the Irish National Squad every year for
the past twenty years; at present we have three. This year's
Munich World Cup sees a DURC member acting as Irish Team
Manager.

We have an Intervarsity event
every year. We have a long history of international
competition, and an excellent reputation both here and
abroad. A DURC competitor was the first Irish competitor to win a
gold medal abroad; we were the first Irish club to win the
team trophy in the British Universities Top XX competition,
and the first Irish competitor to win an individual medal in
that event was from DURC. DURC competitors have represented
Ireland at international level many times.

However, our club is seriously underfunded - this summer
season for example, the club will be unable to cover the
entry fees to competitions for our competitors, who will
have to pay their own way. Every year we hold two Open
competitions, which are registered with the NTSA, thus
allowing competitor's scores to count towards selection for
the national squad. We are unable to afford prizes on an
appropriate level for these competitions. Our operational
costs are funded to an extent by grants from the Dublin
University Central Athletic Club, but there are serious
limitations to this funding; Competing outside the country
(including Northern Ireland), Prizes, Administrative
costs (postage, stationary, phone charges, network access
for the club webserver, etc.) are not funded in any way
whatsoever. This means that our competition prizes are not
of an appropriate standard and our competitive squads must
cover all of their own costs when representing the Club (and
Ireland) abroad.

We feel that our club is a prime opportunity for corporate
sponsorship given our reputation and history. This year
being our 40$^{th}$ anniversary, we have several events we
hope to run, including a planned formal black-tie dinner
function to be held in Trinity College to mark the actual
anniversary date. The amount of funding we would require
would be on the order of \pounds5,000. This would cover
the prizes in competition for the year, including the
championship cups for the DURC 10m Air Rifle Open and the
DURC 50m Air Rifle Open. Both of these events are Olympic
disciplines, and which usually have upwards of forty
senior competitors and twenty junior competitors, from
all over the country; Target shooting being one of the few
sports in Ireland that is organised on a 32-county basis.
The competition is also open to competitors from abroad,
and this year we are hoping to invite competitors from the
Isle of Man and from the UK. We would welcome an ``Eircom
Cup'' in both competitions.

The sponsorship would also allow for a full squad to be
fielded by DURC in competitions including the Comber
Open, the East Antrim Festival, the British Air Rifle
Championships, the Isle of Man Easter Shoot, Bisley Week
(the largest smallbore competition in the UK and Ireland),
as well as all of the national level competitions.

I would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss this
proposal further. I can be contacted at the above addresses; 
I look forward to hearing from you.


%-----------------------------------------------------------------------
\closing{Mis\'{e} le meas,}
\end{letter}
\end{document}
