YORK City Knights have teamed up with major York employer CPP for a second season of sponsorship.

The five-figure deal is again in support of the Knights' scholarship and academy programmes, which are designed to develop young talent through the club's professional coaches.

As well as developing the youngsters' rugby skills, the programmes also stress the importance of being a team player and how to behave on and off the pitch, and offers dietary advice through mentoring and coaching sessions.

A press release stated: "An additional part of the relationship between the club and CPP is the joint motivation to deliver community-wide messages about healthy living."

Wendy Capelin, of CPP, said: "Last year we launched a healthy living guide for schools in association with the Knights and The Press, which has helped the club's community team to provide young people and their families with guidance on what to eat, the type of exercises to do and how to look after their physical well-being.

"The players of the scholarship and academy provide an excellent example of what young people can achieve when given advice from professionals who spend their time bringing athletes to peak fitness."

She added: "Sponsorship of the Knights has also brought benefits for our employees, who were able to call on the expertise of the club's fitness coaches during the CPP Health Week' last April, when they ran a number of very popular sessions at our on-site gym. They will be coming again this year and we will be involved in numerous other activities with the club."

Knights chairman Roger Dixon said: "Continuing public concerns generally about the health of the nation and of standards of behaviour within the community emphasise the significance of the type of programme which CPP is helping us to develop in our area.

"The company's sponsorship is critical to the delivery of such a programme and we are grateful for their invaluable support.

"It shows what can be achieved when there is a partnership approach between business and sport in and around York. There is so much to do that, without investment, the Knights' ambitions would be restricted. CPP's contribution is all the more appreciated for that reason alone."