Several exiled Port Vale supporters from around the world have grouped together to pay for carefully selected families to watch Vale home games during the current season.
Through an initiative known as Super Vale Abroad, the supporters, now living and working as far afield as Australia and the USA, have joined forces with the Vale Park Community Initiative and the Port Vale Foundation to arrange for fourteen families of four to enjoy their first matchday experience at Vale Park.
Contributions donated by the exiled supporters will fund match tickets for each family together with transport to the ground on matchday and in addition each of the children attending will be enrolled as Junior Valiants, courtesy of Synectics Solutions Ltd and will be presented with their membership pack prior to kick-off.
Patrick Scragg, originally from Light Oaks, and who now lives in the Central Coast in Australia is the leader of the group and originator of the Super Vale Abroad concept. “I am delighted that the idea is coming to fruition.
“There are quite a few exiled Vale supporters around the globe who would love to be at Vale Park to watch their heroes playing but nowadays they rarely have the opportunity to do so.
“Through the donations we have pulled together, families who have never been to Vale Park will effectively be taking our place on matchday and hopefully they will enjoy their first taste of League Football.”
The Foundation Trust will manage the project and liaise with local schools to help select the families who will attend. Tom Sherratt, the Foundation Manager, who has been instrumental in formulating the details of the scheme, is confident that it will be a success.
“This is a wonderful gesture by a group of loyal Port Vale supporters who through their generosity will enable families to experience live football for the first time and hopefully become lifelong Vale Supporters.
“We will do our utmost in conjunction with the group and through support from Synectics Solutions and the Vale Park Community Initiative, to make this successful not only this season but hopefully sustainable for seasons to come.”
The first two families to take advantage of the Super Vale Abroad initiative are now in the process of being selected with the intention of them going to the home game against Crawley on Saturday August 18th. A further six pairs of families will then be chosen to attend subsequent home games to be decided in due course.