Carlisle United were delighted to host an inaugural visit of civic leaders from Jacksonville, Florida at the Harrogate game on Saturday.
Representatives came from the city, including:
• Michael Corrigan - CEO Visit Jacksonville https://www.visitjacksonville.com/
• Greg Anderson - VP of Business Development JAXUSA https://jaxusa.org/
• Ed Randolph - Executive Director City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development https://www.jacksonville.gov/departments/office-of-economic-development.aspx
• Alex Alston - Executive Director City of Jacksonville Office of Sports and Entertainment https://specialevents.coj.net/
The team from Jacksonville make an annual visit to England alongside the Jacksonville Jaguars to develop trade, business and tourist relations in the UK. Their visits have taken place for a number of years but it’s the first time they have travelled beyond London and developed relations elsewhere.
The aim of the visit was to build relations between the cities of Carlisle and Jacksonville to develop business relationships.
They travelled up to Carlisle on Friday afternoon for a private evening dinner with Cumberland Council leader Mark Fryer, CEO Andrew Seekings and Michael Barry (Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods) and owners and directors from the club.
On Saturday morning, the delegation visited Tullie House to see the Carlisle United exhibition “Backing the Blues – 120 Years of Carlisle United” before moving on to a business and civic networking event held at Carlisle Cathedral. Watch more from the visit on CUTV HERE.
At the Cathedral, local council, civic, business and tourist leaders gathered to discuss opportunities for future collaborations.
Then on Saturday afternoon, the delegation attended the Harrogate match at Brunton Park. At the game, Visit Jacksonville provided free branded drinks cups for all United fans as a memento of their visit.
"We had an exceptional time visiting Carlisle, and it was impressive to spend time with and get to know the community’s leaders,” said Michael Corrigan, President & CEO of Visit Jacksonville.
“We are excited to build these relationships between the Carlisle and Jacksonville Communities. I look forward to creating strong future partnerships.”
Chairman Tom Piatak said: "We were thrilled to welcome our friends from Jacksonville to Carlisle and to share the city and Cumbria region’s rich history and passion for football.
"This visit marks an important step in fostering meaningful connections between Carlisle and Jacksonville, emphasizing the potential for collaborative growth across business, tourism, and cultural initiatives. We look forward to building on this relationship and exploring further opportunities in the coming years."
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer said: “Cumberland Council and partners recently welcomed a delegation of visitors from Jacksonville.
"The delegation consisted of local leaders from the Office of Economic Development, the JAXUSA Partnership and Visit Jacksonville. The delegation met with their Cumberland counterparts and key stakeholders.
"It was a great opportunity for both parties to learn from each other about shared challenges and opportunities within our respective communities and the potential to grow the economy and maximise the economic benefit of tourism.
"We are keen to forge strong community links with our colleagues across the Atlantic."
Everyone was delighted with the visit and we look forward to hosting them again next year!
