As the cost of living crisis continues to affect so many across the nation, Lewisham Borough Community FC are doing everything they can to bring some cheer to a bleak situation.
The South East London side, who ply their trade in the Southern Counties East League Division One, are offering local residents the opportunity to apply for a free season ticket for the 2022/23 campaign.
It’s an amazing gesture that would put a lot of the club’s more illustrious neighbours to shame, but social media manager Toby Palmer, the driving force behind the campaign, is at pains to stress it is about giving back to the community and providing an activity for families to enjoy.
“When I joined the club there was no real commercial element or sponsors to speak of,” Palmer exclusively told London Football Scene.
“Football at this level can only go so far with word of mouth about the game on Saturday.
“Therefore, the season ticket offer is about raising awareness of who we are as a club and if that means letting the community in for free so be it – 150 for free is better than 30 paying.”
The approach is a unique one but typifies what Lewisham Borough Community FC is all about with everyone involved in the club a reflection of the diverse nature of the borough and all the players hailing from the area as well.
Average gates, without the offer, currently hover anywhere between 30 to 100 with a fair few being ground hoppers and friends/family of the players which meant not many were paying through the gate anyway.
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Therefore there was no harm in creating the offer to both help the community but also potentially expand the commercial opportunities for the club. As Palmer is keen to emphasise – it’s a local offer for a very local club.
It is also very much one born from the acknowledgement of social deprivation in Lewisham, often cited as one of the most deprived boroughs in the country with almost two-fifths of all children in Lewisham living below the poverty line.
The club have already distributed over 600 flyers to schools and local shops and hope to have as many people as possible take up the offer before their opening home game of the season against Meridian VP on Wednesday, September 28th (kick-off 7:45pm).
Lewisham currently sit 16th in the table and have to play their opening four games away from home as their Ladywell Athletics Arena has been in use for the athletics season until the end of the month.
“We want as many in as we can to start the season at home and really go from there,” Palmer added.
“They’ll see through our menu that we also offer food reflective of our diverse community and the hope is that many will see what a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere it is to watch football at this level”.
In order to take advantage of this offer, fans are encouraged to email [email protected] before the end of the month.
Should anyone wish to enquire further about Lewisham Borough CFC they can also contact Toby Palmer via email at [email protected].