Latest news with #FilltheStands
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Spennymoor Town FC rebukes council over Wembley trip cash plea
A football club has criticised its local council after it refused to help pay for coaches to take fans to the FA Trophy final at Town FC had asked Spennymoor Town Council to donate £20,000 to its Back the Fans, Fill the Stands campaign, but on Tuesday councillors voted against giving away the County Durham club's managing director Ian Geldard criticised the council's decision as "disappointing" but described it as "not surprising".The council said it wanted to prioritise ailing public infrastructure but did back plans for a civic reception and town celebrations if the team wins. Mr Geldard said: "Our chairman, Brad Groves, has been very clear recently that change needs to come at town hall."We have huge aspirations as a club, but these cannot be realised without the support and backing of the local authorities." 'Simple decision' Spennymoor has sold more than 3,200 tickets for the final, with about 400 going to fans who had taken advantage of a subsidised coach reduced coach fare tickets were initially priced at £30 but have increased to £45 after the club said it could not afford to cover the whole discount Stephen Gilling supported donating the money and said attending Wembley "should never be limited to those who can only afford it"."The decision is simple: we either tell the people of the town that we care about them, or we vote against this and for years to come our names will be remembered for it," he told the council. But councillor Dean Ranyard said public facilities, such as the broken lift in the Town Hall and the "not fit for purpose" Middlestone Moor Community Centre, should be prioritised."I'm sure in the future the council will do all it can within its means to support the football club and its ongoing success, but I believe this, unfortunately, is not the time to be giving away public money," he said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Spennymoor Town FC starts campaign to help fans travel to Wembley
A football club has launched a campaign to help its fans travel to Wembley to watch it play in the FA Trophy Town FC are set to play Aldershot Town on 11 May and the club has said it wants as many of its fans as possible to be there in has launched the Back The Fans, Fill the Stands campaign to pay for coaches to take fans to partnerships manager Stephen Gilling said he wanted everyone from the "council to the corner shop" to chip in to make travel affordable. He said he was asking local businesses and sponsors to pay for coaches to help "create a wall of black and white to roar the players on"."I'm now asking for them to back the club and its fans in any way they can with this campaign and play a real part in what is a historic occasion for everyone in the town," Mr Gilling said. The club has already subsidised coach travel to a number of away fixtures throughout the Back The Fans, Fill the Stands campaign allows people and businesses to donate directly to the club's PayPal account, with all donations going towards fan transport to Wembley. Spennymoor beat Rochdale AFC 5-4 on penalties to secure their place in the FA Trophy Rochdale later condemned a pitch invasion which took place after the final whistle and led to "unacceptable behaviour" from fans from both teams. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
