Guiseley AFC have certainly hit the target with their new sponsorship deal. They are to be backed by the UK's leading independent express delivery company Target Express.

The company has over 50 depots throughout the country and is the country's largest and most successful independent carrier.

The company will have their logo emblazoned on the new Guiseley AFC first team kit. Last year's kit sponsors Libra Demolition are expected to have their logo on the Reserve and Youth team kits, the link with Libra being continued.

The new sponsorship deal has been arranged by the club's new chairman Rob Northfield and he said: "It is the first of our links with bigger and better known companies. We are of course still grateful and needful of sponsorship from local companies but with the ever spiralling cost of running a non-league football club you do need to get help from national companies as well.

"I am delighted to have Target Express on board but I am also delighted that Libra will also be staying with us. We are also forging relationships with other big companies and Ponden Mill have already signed up to be involved.

"I am in negotiations with a number of other high profile companies and I hope to see the finances of the club improving through these commercial efforts. Any money coming in will filter right down the club and we will be looking at assisting our junior section with their events."

Former Chelsea reserve team player Northfield is looking to improving Guiseley's profile on the non-league scene and in the local community. He has recruited Manchester United and England youth goalkeeper Tom Heaton as an official team mascot.

He is also overseeing a revamp of the club's much used website with Proton Storm redeveloping the site with a design that hopefully reflects the ambitions of the club.

"We are pitching ourselves higher in terms of profile and so we need to improve a number of things. We are redoing the signage within the ground and improving the floodlights. Image is all important and we want to project the right image," said Northfield.

"I really do think that when people see the list of big companies who will be helping us in the coming season a lot more people will want to become involved. Guiseley AFC is going to be the place people will want to be coming to. We will do all this work and then it is up to Neil (Parsley) to get the team playing in the right way."

Parsley's players returned to action on Tuesday night with a punishing training session at St Mary's School, Menston.

The players from the first and the reserve teams along with some triallists were put through their paces by Parsley, team physio Benn Gallagher and captain Richard Chattoe.

Striker Ryan Senior was back in training after only playing two games last season due to joining the police force. He expects to be available regularly in the coming season.

Stewart Airdrie also trained having recovered from a hernia operation and Simon Parke was also there.

Players were introduced to the new reserve team manager Brian Tate, who is involved with scouting for Huddersfield Town. He will be bringing a qualified coach with him from Huddersfield Town to oversee reserve team training.

The club starts its pre-season friendlies in a couple of weeks with their first scheduled game being at home to Bradford City on Friday, July 16, with a 7.30 pm kick-off.

Other high profile games have been arranged at Nethermoor against York City on Wednesday, July 28, at 7.30 pm and against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, August 3, also with a 7.30 pm kick-off.

The club will also play pre-season matches at home to Bradford Park Avenue on Monday, July 19; at Ossett Albion on Monday, July 26; against Silsden at Cougar Park, Keighley, on Tuesday, August 10; and at Tadcaster Albion on Saturday, August 14.

Other games are expected to be arranged against Eccleshill and Glasshoughton with the possibility of a game against Oldham Athletic.

The UniBond League season will start on August 21 with the Reserves' Lancashire League programme commencing on August 14.

The club has been asked by the FA to stage one of the EUFA Under-19 Women's Championship games in September involving England, Wales, Romania and Bulgaria.

The club will also stage a big charity event on Sunday, September 12 when a human table football tournament will be held in aid of Dr Barnardo's.

In a bid to stop the persistent vandalism which is being carried out at the ground on a weekly basis by a large group of teenagers the club is to install CCTV cameras.

This follows the latest damage when seats in the stand have been smashed, and seats, floorboarding and walls in the stand sprayed with paint.

Also causing concern is the smashing of glass on the playing surface. Club workers spent three hours clearing this way and are concerned that a player will sustain a serious injury if this continues.