Barrow AFC chairman Paul Hornby is hailing fans who've defied the coronavirus crisis to smash the fundraising target they'd set to maintain their stake in the National League club.
The Bluebirds Trust, who'd set a £65,000 season target back in January, announced they'd broken that barrier at lunchtime on Tuesday with six weeks still to go before their own end of May deadline.
And now ambitious Barrow AFC fans' group are set to raise even more in the days ahead as the Bluebirds and the rest of the National League are polled on how to conclude the still suspended 2019/20 campaign,halted last month with the Bluebirds at the top of the table and on course for a dream return to the English Football League.
Hornby said: “What the supporters and trust have achieved has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are in unprecedented times and whilst our focus has been on family and community the continued giving and hard work has been truly amazing.”
? | PLAY YOUR PART:
The @BluebirdsST have smashed through their £65,000 fundraising target a full SIX weeks ahead of schedule! ?
Read more on an incredible effort ??https://t.co/vmvOJAvax4 #PlayYourPart#BackTheBluebirds
— Barrow A.F.C. (@BarrowAFC) April 21, 2020
Bluebirds Trust chairman Steve Herbert also thanked fans in a joint statement. “I thought we would get there, as close as we were, but you have surpassed our wildest dreams,” he told fellow fans.
“Whether it was the raffle, buying from the shop, donations, football card sales, share contributions, Trust Travel, sponsorship, selling marmalade, E-Bay… the list is endless. You, the fans, have made this possible.
“In the last 20 months, through the Trust, we have together put £135,000 into our football club. It's an incredible achievement by you and indeed by the rest of the board who have the other 90 percent.
“This is why we are where we are, why we could support our manager, help him keep the playing squad together, refurbish the ground and gear up for league football. Everything we make, over our baseline, goes to in Barrow AFC to maintain a 10 per cent stake.”
Praising fans for their efforts for carrying on in the face of the global pandemic and the UK lockdown, he added: “Of course football isn't a priority now. However, we have been inundated with requests to ensure we don't stop raising money.
“And we certainly won't. Working, together, the way we are with the rest of the board, we will emerge intact and ready for whatever the next challenge will bring.”
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper from this weekend for the latest news on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on football as the National League's clubs prepare for an historic first poll on how to conclude their ‘indefinitely' suspended campaigns.
In shops on Sundays and Mondays, The NLP is always available as a pound-busting digital edition and full replica of the printed paper from midnight on Saturdays. Save cash on single issues, even more on longer deals and the pages still rustle!
Images courtesy of The Non-League Paper & Ian Allington/Barrow AFC
