Spennymoor Town Football Club recently launched a ‘Back the Fans and Pack the Stands’ campaign, appealing to local individuals and organisations for donations towards subsidised coach travel to help as many residents make the trip to Wembley.
Members of Spennymoor Town Council were asked to consider allocating up to £20,000 from its general reserves towards subsidised coach travel to the final on May 11 against Aldershot Town. A £10,000 allocation for travel subsidy and another £10,000 allocation towards victory celebrations would cost less than £2 per household, the local authority said.
However, councillors voted not to contribute to the campaign.
The Town Council instead backed plans for a potential civic reception and town celebrations following the final if the team is victorious.
Spennymoor booked their place in the final after a historic 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over Rochdale in April.
Next month will be the National League North team’s second visit to the national stadium in London after winning the FA Vase in 2013. Several thousand fans travelled from County Durham to the 2-1 win over Tunbridge Wells. Bunting was displayed throughout the town before and after the historic fixture, and an open-top bus parade made its way through the town centre.
More than 1,000 fans made the journey to Rochdale for the semi-final – and it is hoped thousands more will make the trip to Wembley.
Recommended reading:
A Town Council report ahead of the meeting on Tuesday (April 23) read: “The FA Trophy final is clearly a significant event for the town, and marks a ‘level-up’ from the previous FA Vase final appearance. The club has received an initial allocation of 7,000 tickets for the FA Trophy final, and it is possible that this could be increased if ticket sales approach the initial 7,000 allocation.
“Given the significant local ‘feel good factor’ of the semi-final win and subsequent Wembley trip as well as the regional and national impact of putting Spennymoor ‘on the map’ through the appearance (and hopefully the win!) at Wembley, the council may wish to consider how it can best utilise its resources to support the club and the people of the town with this historic event.”
Despite not allocating funding for subsidised bus travel, the local authority said it continues to support Spennymoor Town FC’s historic FA Trophy appearance. In a statement following the meeting, a spokesman said: “The Town Council is already working on plans for a civic reception and other celebrations in the town to mark the Moors’ triumphant return, with further details to be published after May 11.”
