BUDWEISER CLUB FUTURES PROGRAMME UNSUNG HERO
TONY & JUNE BRAZIER – WALTHAM FOREST
DESPITE being retired and based 90-miles from their football club, two dedicated Waltham Forest fans feel their love for the Stags gives them a reason to get up every morning.
Tony and June Brazier have been involved with Waltham Forest since the late 60s, where their romance blossomed on the terraces of the then Leyton outfit.
Since then, the couple have been acknowledged by all those at the club as ‘towers of strength' throughout The Stags' recent ground and financial difficulties, even dipping into their own pockets on occasions to cover the club's expenditure.
Tony works as club secretary and June as treasurer, yet their official titles tell a fraction of their story.
Between them they do the club's administration, buy and transport the kit and balls and wash it after every game.
June takes care of the hospitality and the players' post-match food, which involves getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare.
Despite both being based in Basingstoke, the Braziers rarely miss a game, home or away regardless of distance or weather.
And all of this earned them the Budweiser Club Futures Programme Unsung Hero award at the 2013 National Game Awards.
Tony told The NLP: “We just do what we do for the club because without us it probably wouldn't exist.
“And that is not blowing our own trumpets, it is probably being realistic.
“We do it because we want to do it and we don't expect to get a reward but it is always nice to get one.
“We were very surprised to win this award. We knew we had been nominated but we didn't expect to win it!”
June added: “I got involved a few years ago because we lost a chairman and all of the stuff went with him. So I said I would do the catering for a little while.
“That was about ten years ago and I am still doing it now. It is just a way of life now and once I retired it just gave me a reason to get up in the morning.”
While the Braziers are proud to have been recognised for their hard work and dedication, their aim now is to get the club back into the borough of Waltham Forest, as The Stags currently groundshare with Ilford.
As Tony said: “If we can get our own fan base back in Walthamstow and develop Waltham Forest as a community club then we can continue to grow the club and have a brighter future.”
