There is more to a football club.........

Which football club do you support ?

Before you answer let me suggest to you that there is more to a football club than two goal posts and a bit of grass between them.

I am going to invite you to add something to your club this season, something far more valuable than winning The Barclays Premier League !

An audience with The Queen would not get in the way of

something I have in my diary for Saturday 10th August, something written in red letters.  I am going up to Hillsborough to watch Sheffield Wednesday thrash Barnsley in the opening game of the season.

What do you reckon ? Sheffield Wednesday 4  Barnsley 0 ?

Most football clubs have an anthem, we have TWO at Sheffield Wednesday.  Here's a club anthem I rather like.

Two seasons ago I ran a little project I am rather proud of. A small group of us sponsored the boys at Wednesday for 
every goal they scored sending the  money to Ronald McDonald House to help care for families with a child sick in Birmingham Childrens' Hospital.

It is true you know I never broadcast a radio show without my

Wednesday scarf.  That scarf has been seen in some rather iconic places ! Let's have another club theme shall we ?  Two clubs squabble over this, each claiming it as their own. Do you know which clubs ?  Do you ?

AND..........................

Last season I had a plan to run another goal sponsorship project for the boys at Hillsborough but, embarrassingly, I did not get my act together.

Let me explain what I am going to do this season, starting with the victory at Hillsborough on Saturday 10th August. I

then want you do do something similar with the club you support.

OK..................

First of all which good cause/causes do you support.  I have selected three: Milton Keynes Winter Night Shelter, The Food Bank and children who are sick in hospital - specifically those in Sheffield Childrens' Hospital.

Now decide your good causes.................

Go on......................

Throughout the season I will sponsor the goals scored at every game, home and away. Sponsorship will be for Wednesday on a rota:

Saturday 10th August - Home to Barnsley - Milton Keynes Winter Night Shelter

Tuesday 13th August - Home to Bury - Milton Keynes Foodbank

Saturday 17th August - Away to Millwall - Sheffield Childrens Hospital

The three causes will then rotate across the season's fixtures

in my diary and bank account.

Sort your club's fixtures and write them in your diary while I play Wednesday's second adopted anthem.

Go on - get to it.

IMPORTANTLY after each game you have to write two letters. The first you send to the players at your club thanking them for scoring the goals. THEN you write to the good cause as you send the money to tell them about the game and name the goal scorers.

Let's say your club scores an average of two goals per game and you sponsor each goal for £5. That's a tenner for your good cause - yeh !

Then share what you have done on social media to encourage more people to sponsor

goals in their club.

One hundred people taking part would send an average of £500 to good causes each game. How many games are there in the season ?  How many people will attend those games.

Come on.........................

THERE IS MORE TO A GAME OF FOOTBALL THAN TWO GOAL POSTS AND A BIT OF GRASS BETWEEN THEM.

Time now to play what is the most famous of all club anthems

but I am not going to play the Gerry And The Pacemakers Version.  This is by Black Lace. It starts off with the Rod Stewart song SAILING. We are all sailing along on the ocean of life. Many a day the sun is shining and the sea is calm, it's a wonderful experience.  But when the wind comes, when the storm rages and the ship is in danger of sinking it is then you need to feel the arm of a friend around you saying YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE.