Target reached! Stretch target: £31,000
DEADLINE FOR PICTURES ON MONDAY: FULL DETAILS– – – – –We did it! That's a ...
Fill The Paddock
Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom
Aim: We want to finish the season together by creating an artificial army of supporters for the play-offs
Barring a major setback, the play-offs are set to go ahead without supporters due to the coronavirus and the current social distancing guidelines.
And that's so difficult for our amazing fans, who've been with us every step of the way and played such a vital role in getting us into this position in the first place.
This unprecedented conclusion presents a huge challenge for us too, unable to open the turnstiles for one last time this season.
This wasn't what we had in mind when we started this journey at Leyton Orient last August, but it's where we find ourselves today.
Our support this season has been nothing short of magnificent and we're determined to finish the season together with you, from home.
So as the players prepare to return to training on Monday, we're going to try to do something to bring everyone together for one last push.
Together, from home.
We're partnering with our friends at Typecraft and Signcraft to create an artificial army of 500 supporters to get behind the boys against Northampton Town in the forthcoming play-off semi-final at The Jonny-Rocks Stadium.
We also want to show solidarity with our charity partner, the Hollie Gazzard Trust, by donating 10% of all the profits from this campaign to their mission of tackling domestic violence.
We know it's a challenging time for everyone but we're hoping that the town will see this idea as a unique way to show its support at a time when we need it the most.
It will help us to generate some much needed income, supporting our local business and charity partners in the process. We hope it's something our supporters will hopefully enjoy being involved in, too.
We only have about two weeks to do this if we're going to do it, so we need to make a start now. The date of the match has not been confirmed by the EFL but we can assume that it will be towards the last week of June at this moment in time.
The one thing we do know is that when it does go ahead, it will be the only time our supporters will be 'board stiff' all season . . .
• Supporters at Borussia Monchengladbach. Credit: FPMG Supporters Club
Your face in the crowd.
We're extremely sad that we will not be able to welcome fans for the game, which must take place behind closed doors.
Our plan is to fill The Paddock with 500 fans to show the players, and the world that the town is right behind the team during the crucial play-offs.
We also want to use our electronic scoreboard to display videos of supporters doing their thing to get behind the lads from home.
Pledge £25 we will add your own 'cardboard cut-out' to The Paddock which we will return to you, signed, as soon as it's safe to do so. We will also give you the opportunity to send us a short video of you supporting the Robins from home, which we will add to all the others and show in a continuous loop on our scoreboard during the game.
How will it work for supporters?
- Pledge to have your 'cut out' added to our artificial crowd in The Paddock. You can add your partners, friends and family members by selecting the rewards on the right-hand side of this page. Please ensure you use choose the reward and not the donation button.
- Leave a message of support when you pledge on Crowdfunder and we will print them all off, sticking them on the tunnel for the players to see before the game.
- Send us your 'head and shoulders' picture for the cut-out, and the video for the scoreboard to us by the deadline below – full details available here
- We'll add your cut out to the crowd to the TV-facing Paddock for everyone to see during the match against Northampton Town. We will also show your video with all the others, on a loop, throughout the game on the scoreboard.
- All cardboard fans will be signed by either the manager or the players to say 'thanks' and returned to supporters when it's safe to do so. They will remain in-situ for any other games behind closed doors, should that happen.
- Spread the word on social media and let's fill The Paddock. We don't have long!
Please note: supporter cut-outs will be made using Foamex, a superior quality, extremely versatile PVC foam sheet (2f x 1ft in size).
Your business in the crowd.
We have always had a special relationship with the local business community but due to recent events, we need you now more than ever. We have created a one-off opportunity for businesses and organisations to be part of the crowd by proudly showing their colours on the day.
We'd like them to take up the opportunity to advertise from the unused Main Stand, which faces the TV cameras during the game. We have a number of sizes available on the right-hand side of this page.
How will it work for businesses?
- Pledge to have your business' artwork added to one of our banner options on the right-hand side of this page.
- Send us the artwork that you want to use to us by the deadline below – full details available here
- We'll add your banner to the TV-facing Main Stand for everyone to see during the match against Northampton Town.
Important information: our deadlines.
Deadline for pledges: Sunday, June 14 (9pm)
Deadline for photographs and artwork: Monday, June 15 (5pm)
Deadline for videos: Wednesday, June 17 (5pm)
The match: Monday, June 22 (8pm)
Please make sure you send across your pictures, videos or artwork to us as soon as you can once you've pledged, and we can begin working with our partners to create our Foamex supporters. Late submissions may miss out given our tight deadlines.
Please also ensure you opt into project updates when you make your pledge to ensure you receive the latest updates from us. We will not use your details for any other reason.
It's happening across Europe.
Leagues around the world have been looking into ways to enable fans to take part in football during the lockdown.
The recent Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen match used cardboard pictures of fans to fill the seats at Borussia-Park in Moenchengladbach, Germany. Away fans were also represented and we hope to create our own version inside The Jonny-Rocks Stadium next month.
• Supporters at Borussia Monchengladbach. Credit: FPMG Supporters Club
What happens if the game doesn't go ahead?
We do live in unreal times. Should the match not go ahead for whatever reason then you will be able to refund your pledges on Crowdfunder. Alternatively we could still go-ahead with the plan to create an artificial army inside the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.
Whatever happens in the event of it not going ahead, we'll work together with you to make alternative arrangements we're all happy with.
We're supporting the Hollie Gazzard Trust.
The Hollie Gazzard Trust is the club’s charity partner for the 2019-20 season. The organisation works to reduce domestic violence and promote healthy relationships in schools and colleges and has been working with the players and staff in recent months.
It was set up by Hollie’s parents, Nick and Mandy, and her sister Chloe. Nick made 45 appearances for the Robins in total, scoring 14 goals between 1983 and 1987 before a knee injury curtailed his career.
Nick's 20-year-old daughter Hollie was murdered by her ex-partner in 2014 and he has campaigned tirelessly to make sure people are safe and tried to raise awareness of knife crime, stalking, domestic abuse and abusive relationships and worked with us on our one-off white kit back in February.
The spread of coronavirus has had an adverse effect on many charities with the cancellation of many fundraising events so we want to show our support at this challenging time by donating 10% of the profits from this campaign to them.