ONE of Bob Gorrill's first goals as York City's new sales and commercial executive will be to find a sponsor for the back of the club's shirts.

Neighbours Leeds United and Scunthorpe United have already capitalised on the in-fashion initiative that is bringing a fresh revenue stream to many Football League clubs.

And Gorrill is now hoping that a York business will want to make Conference history by becoming the first in non-League football's highest echelon to have their name emblazoned on the backs of the Minstermen.

He said: "I went to the Conference Commercial Managers' meeting on Thursday and, while it was quite good, there were certain things that they were not exploring that their counterparts in the Football League are.

"One is putting sponsors on the back of shirts and, having checked that it is allowed in the Conference, I will be phoning one or two companies that I know will be interested.

"Our current shirt sponsors (Phoenix Software) will be approached first but, if they don't want it, surely there's somebody in York who would like their name on the back of the players' shirts."

Gorrill's first job as a football club commercial manager came at Chesterfield in 1982 after he had supplied cars to Sheffield United as the city's sales manager for Volvo and Mercedes.

Despite having a strong Blades affinity he went on to work for fierce rivals Sheffield Wednesday for nine years, during which time the Owls won the League Cup and played in Europe.

Gorrill was also responsible for driving then manager Ron Atkinson's car to away games and, later on, became good friends with Trevor Francis, who attended his wedding.

He also admits to bringing Wednesday's unpopular current chairman Dave Richards to Hillsborough, which few Owls fans would be grateful for now!

Further spells at Mansfield, Northampton, where he helped make the new Sixfields Stadium a commercial success, and Oldham followed before he worked at Darlington, where he left recently for "personal reasons" after two years.

Selling hospitality for a team competing against the very best in Europe obviously contrasts strongly to attracting companies to City's next home match with Crawley Town.

But, having had 22 years of experience working in football's commercial sector, Gorrill has become accustomed to not relying on a team's performances for business.

"It obviously helped when Sheffield Wednesday were doing well, but two years after winning the League Cup they were relegated and then went straight back up so you can't rely on winning every match," he said.

"When I bring sponsors to a club I tell them we will give you a good time and your clients will be well looked after, but I can't control results."

As a consequence of what might be perceived by the business community as a currently limited on-pitch appeal, Gorrill is looking to bring commercial revenue to Bootham Crescent that does not necessarily rely on match-day attendance.

He said: "The hospitality side is negative and not as good as it should be at the moment and the board know that. I think we only have two sponsors between now and the end of the season and that's ridiculous.

"I have said I will justify my existence here and I have put some new packages together, but what I will also be doing is looking to run more sportsman's dinners and golf days because, if business people don't want to support the football club on a Saturday afternoon, then they might want to support it in other ways.

"I get on well with Bobby Robson and I know he will do any dinner within a reasonable radius of his North-East home and I will also be introducing myself to the business community of York."

Gorrill will answer to a commercial and managing director in the boardroom if one can be identified by the club, with a job description having been recently distributed to the Supporters' Trust for a "willing and able" volunteer.

In the meantime, he says he is pleased to relieve some of the current workload pressure at the club in an area that the board has admitted has been neglected.

He said: "It's a lovely club that I've always had a hankering for since I came here for a pre-season friendly with Sheffield Wednesday. I met Jason McGill first and I liked the warm feeling I got here."

Updated: 11:05 Saturday, December 11, 2004