Fleet fans meet to put more bums on seats

Friday 12th June 2009

LOCAL football fans are banging their heads together to try and attract local people to watch Blue Square Premier football at Ebbsfleet United next season, writes Stephen McCartney.

Supporters are meeting at Stonebridge Road on Thursday, 25th June (8pm) to gather ideas for the "Bums of Seats" imitative.

Manager Liam Daish has seen all but three of last season's first team squad leave the club due to extensive budget cuts and has only managed to keep contracted goalkeeper Lance Cronin, defender Darius Charles and striker Michael Gash.

The supporters' group would like to see some of the fans that came out of the woodwork at Wembley Stadium last May - and watched the free-game against Swindon Supermarine en-route to the FA Trophy Final return to Stonebridge Road to support their local side.

Organiser Steve Miles, who posted the following message on www.eufcforum.com is trying to get into the minds of fans that live close to the club's Stonebridge Road ground.

"Getting 25,000 fans to Wembley and 3,750 to Stonebridge Road to watch Swindon Supermarine shows enormous potential to get more bums on seats," he said.

"With this in mind the Fleet Trust are launching an initiative to convert some of these one match supporters to swell the number of loyal fans that attend every Fleet home match.

"The Fleet BOS (Bums on Seats) Squad will be launched at a meeting at Stonebridge Road and all Fleet supporters are welcome. You don't need to understand the internet, belong to MyFC or the Fleet Trust, but if you do, fine.

"The only qualification is to be a Fleet supporter who cares and lives within a five-mile radius of Stonebridge Road."

The meeting will also discuss the distribution of leaflets to local residents to publicise the Fleet's home matches next season.

"With a small team of local volunteers happy to walk their local streets for less than an hour a week in their own time, we can make this happen," said Mr Miles.

He added: "It took me nearly 40 years of living in Gravesend before I attended my first game at Stonebridge Road and I consider myself to be a football fan!"

For further details about the meeting, please contact Steve Miles on 07710 540 732 - or email conectar@gotadsl.co.uk - please mention that you read this article on www.kentishfootball.co.uk

Visit Ebbsfleet United's website: www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk