Carlisle United are launching an exclusive new loyalty membership card for Blues fans which will save them cash while also earning money for their club this season.

TeamCard has already proved a winner with 600,000 supporters at other major clubs including Chelsea and Celtic, as well as England's official fans and several top RL outfits.

Now Carlisle United have become the latest club to team up with TeamCard, which offers members-only money-spinning deals at lots of high street giants like Boots and PC World as well as some locally-based retailers such as Hoopers and New Balance. TeamCard also has hundreds of national on-line retail partners, incuding eBay and iTunes - please note, access to these retailers and shopping sites MUST be via www.teamcard.co.uk to ensure that your points are registered.

Here is how TeamCard works for Carlisle United fans:

* Cardholders receive a varying number of points (up to 10) for every pound they spend at participating shops or on line sites.

* Each point gives them 1p discount off every purchase they make at CUFC's Blues Store Club shop or ticket office, which means Carlisle fans can get a new blue home shirt FREE - or a pair of match tickets for nothing - as soon as they accumulate enough points.

* The arrangement also sees Carlisle United receive a slice of money from every point awarded as their reward for bringing in more revenue into participating stores.

Carlisle United will be issuing free TeamCards to every season ticket holder for the new 2009-10 campaign and to all its Premier Club and London Branch members. However, TeamCards will also be available to all other Blues fans for just £10 (adults) or £6 (under-17s).

Martin Hudson, United's business development director, said: "The great thing about TeamCard is that it's a winner for absolutely everyone. The fans save money on their club merchandise or match tickets, the club gets money paid direct from TeamCard and the shops taking part gain extra business. It's a really neat scheme. Part of my role is to look for new revenue streams for the club. We are trying to be ahead of the game.

"Another important point is that we are not asking fans to dig deeper into their pockets by spending a penny more than they might already, apart from those supporters who don't qualify for a free TeamCard. The whole ethos of it is to lower the cost of supporting your team. It is also a great way for the club to stay in touch with fans.

"I'm sure our fans will quickly latch on to the fact that TeamCard is really big and totally reputable. It's great to see Carlisle United right up there in the vanguard of this alongside some of the biggest names in sport and retail."

Each plastic TeamCard carries the holder's name and reference number. The relevant number of points are scanned in with each qualifying purchase. The card then identifies how much discount the holder is eligible for at the Blues Store at Brunton Park or when buying match tickets in advance or season tickets.

Martin added: "TeamCard has proved a big success elsewhere, from Premier League clubs like Chelsea and Bolton to ones in our division like Millwall, Oldham and Southend. Lots of massive national traders are taking part in the scheme, like Currys, as well as ones local to Carlisle like Peter Jackson the Jewellers and Hoopers, who are good long-term supporters of the club. Several other really big names arealso being lined up, which will make TeamCard even more attractive to fans.

"It will be vital for Carlisle fans to carry their TeamCard in their purse or wallet at all times so they can use it when shopping either in store with our selected local retail partners or on line with literally hundreds of big name partners. Points earned will help our fans reduce the cost of supporting their team."

Fans who want to apply for a TeamCard can do so at Brunton Park by filling in a form at the ticket office or at the Blues Store or by downloading one from the internet.

The card has to be registered online to activate the holder's account. For those without internet access, the club has arranged for fans to be able to telephone or visit the club to have their account activated for them.