Boreham Wood FC Chairman Danny Hunter has in recent days spoken to Club Shop Manager Grant Morris about the possible creation of a new fundraising initiative in the form of our Community Trust ‘500 Club.’
Hunter said, “I’m quietly working my way through the various challenges facing me, my staff and the Club in regards to staying afloat and we are getting there. It’s still of course problematic, as you can imagine, as we are dealing with things like the recent pitch renovation programme, our off-season maintenance plans, then there are the present staff’s safety requirements and the small issue of paying our players and coaches’ during a pandemic.
“Things for small Football Club’s like ourselves, with play offs still possible in the National League, are not in truth getting any easier…
“I’m still trying to deal with all this but I’m having to work blind, as we’ve had absolutely no contact or real guidance from our League’s Board for over a month. With no income coming in to the Club, whether that be through season tickets sales, bar or function income or astro pitch hire, then it makes things precarious to say the least.
”Additionally, of course, we will have no pre-season match income in July and August when we would have been entertaining the likes of Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers, Brentford and Gillingham at our Meadow Park home.
“I am of course hugely worried about the above, but I’m also very concerned about my community initiatives, in regards to our local schools, our local charities and I now have our COVID-19 facility safety work to budget for. As such, we’re looking into starting a ‘500 Club,’ with the proceeds going to all the local initiatives that the club are involved in.
“All these local benchmarks are going to be so, so important when lockdown in the sport and hospitality arena are lifted and our recovery can finally begin. When I’m feeling a bit down, I go back to basics and remember this is our Town, this is our Community and its well-being is going to be key to the Club and Town’s future, only with the new normal and with the correct safety measures put in place.
“My community initiatives and school programmes have been years and years in the making and they are now a huge part of what we do here and in truth they’re close to my heart. As such, our Community Trust through Grant Morris, Connor Smith and our backroom team, are trying to create a £5-a-month ‘500 Club’ lottery draw with weekly cash prizes and other larger monthly cash prizes…
”If the community decides to participate, all of the proceeds will go towards our present community initiatives. They will also help us to maintain our school’s programmes for the next academic year, plus help us create an improved onsite facility with further supporter safety measures in place in readiness for a new season whenever that might be.
“In essence, we are asking our Town to consider taking a ‘500 Club’ ticket or two, through a standing order to help us during these very trying times. I’m also asking my staff, our players, my family and even a few of our loyal sponsors to lend their support to our initiative.
“I’m hoping with the help of the Town, the ‘Wood Army’ and our Wood Army expats around Europe, America, Australia and around the world, that all or more of our 500 numbers get taken up. I’m genuinely not asking for charity, I’m simply asking local people to recognise the importance of its community Football Club and by spending a fiver a month, they can help me achieve that, but only if they can spare a fiver…
“We all know we’re not going to change the world by creating a ‘500 Club’ lottery draw, but we are committed to helping our local kids and local families, while helping out a few of the smaller local charities. Our supporters will therefore know that their fiver is helping to keep their local Football Club‘s community schools programmes in place when the lockdown is over.
“So, if people would like to commit to a fiver, or tenner, a month for a good cause, then they can stand a chance of winning a few bob in prize money in the process. To sign up please contact Mandee Morris or Sue Hodson in the Main Club Office, or the Boreham Wood Community Trust Team on 020 8953 5097 and you’ll certainly have the grateful thanks from not only me, but all of us at the Club.” Hunter concluded.
To sign up or for more information about the Boreham Wood Community Trust ‘500 Club’ please click here…
