“We have received many questions since the news was released that our sponsorship arrangement with Drennan International for the England Men’s Coarse Angling team has come to an end.

We’ve pulled together the most commonly received questions together with our answers for anyone who requires further information.

You can also listen in full to Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd on Talksport where he makes it absolutely clear that we have full confidence in our Team England managers and deplore any attempts to undermine them or to question their integrity. The interview starts 15 minutes into the programme.

Why have we not renewed the contract?
We regret very much that the Drennan International contract came to an end but the demands they were placing on a renewed contract were unacceptable. However, we cannot accept a situation where a sponsor seeks to select the team or demands that the highly successful unpaid manager of the England teams is replaced. To be clear, we spent many months trying to find a position that was acceptable to both Drennan International and the Angling Trust because they are a very long-standing sponsor of our unbelievably successful teams, but sadly it was not possible to find a solution.

Have you found alternative sponsorship?
We are already in open discussions with a number of companies who are interested in associating their brand with the most successful angling team ever. We will be developing new sponsorship packages with them to ensure that they get a good return on the substantial investment. Until that time, the Angling Trust will support the teams from the balance of funds held on the Team England account and will seek support from the individual anglers’ own sponsors so that they can continue to compete.

Has any money gone missing?
Please listen to the interview with Mark Lloyd on Talk Sport in which he sets the record straight regarding false allegations on the internet regarding Team England finances. He states categorically that there has been absolutely no financial wrongdoing and that not a single penny of the funds has gone missing. He stresses that our accounts are independently audited and that we have a green rating for governance from Sport England, who carry out an independent audit.

What are the charges for “expenses” on your published financial figures?
We made public the details of all the income and expenditure for our England teams, but some people online have noticed that there are some large sums (e.g. £1,500) listed simply as “expenses”. The Manager supplies our accounts team with credit card statements to show what these costs are. They relate to items purchased locally in the countries where we are competing such as meals, refreshments and transport. Not a single penny of our sponsors’ contribution is unaccounted for.

Is the Angling Trust living it up in fancy hotels?
Far from it! Paid staff rarely attend events because of the costs involved in travel and accommodation. The management team for each event is made up of unpaid volunteers who often have to subsidise the costs of travel and other expenses from their own pockets. It is an unfair and completely false misrepresentation to describe these hard-working volunteers as living an extravagant lifestyle when they are supporting our teams.

Is the Angling Trust making money out of sponsorship?
No. The Angling Trust bears additional costs of administering all the financial affairs of 29 England teams as well as the costs of travel insurance and annual membership of the international angling governing bodies. Sponsors funds are used only to help our anglers compete at the highest level. The Angling Trust is a non-profit making organisation and all of the funds it raises from a variety of sources must be spent on improving and promoting angling. No profits have or will ever be distributed to Directors and any surplus is clearly marked in our published accounts for all to see.

Why do some teams not have sponsorship?
The Angling Trust has secured numerous new sponsorship deals for teams over the past 10 years and will continue to work to find as much support as possible for all 29 teams we manage. If anyone wants to help, please get in touch.

Do you still have confidence in the current management team?
Mark Downes and Steve Sanders have led the three England coarse angling teams to great success over the past three years and deserve huge credit for this brilliant performance. The teams’ medal tally and rankings are listed below. This is probably the most successful record of any sport in the country. We are determined to maintain this dominant position and will be seeking the funds to ensure that we can continue to support teams to compete at the highest level. We do not believe that replacing the manager would be either sensible or appropriate in the context of this successful record.”

Note that this is a direct statement from the Angling Trust in response to a move by Drennan International to pull sponsorship amid a variety of questions. It does not include Peter Drennan’s viewpoints, which we have not received, and does not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.