As part of our community objectives and our on-going commitment to celebrating and promoting diversity at Hartlepool United, HUST are launching a new community ticket initiative!
Kicking off in April to tie in with Autism Acceptance Month, HUST are committed to helping people in our community attend games, those who may otherwise find it difficult to come to The Suit Direct Stadium. Our aim is to fund match day tickets and provide other support that individuals may need to help them enjoy matches.
To help launch the campaign we will be hosting a football match between HUST and staff at Camerons Brewery, where all participants will ‘pay to play’ for the cost of a match day ticket. Money raised will then go into a specific community ticket fund. Many thanks to Camerons for supporting this initiative, a company with a long tradition of supporting Pools and one embedded in our community.
Pools fans will also have the opportunity to donate into the fund, which will solely be used for purchasing community tickets and is separate from our ring-fenced investment fund. (You can donate a ticket here or click on the Fundraising tab above for further options.)
We will begin in April by working with the Disabled Supporters Association (HUDSA) to develop matchday sensory kits, as well as tying in with the North East Autism Society, to help educate and promote autism acceptance. We will also be giving away matchday tickets to some individuals in our community with autism. A special ‘social story’ will be available online to help those with autism be aware of the matchday experience before they attend a game.
The campaign is then planned to run throughout the 2022/23 season, during which we will be linking in with other local community groups to help celebrate the diverse nature of our community and help individuals overcome barriers to attending Pools games. We are open to suggestions of particular groups to support, so if you would like to nominate any groups or charities that may benefit from the initiative then please contact us via community@hufcsupporterstrust.org.uk
As well as helping celebrate and increase the diversity of the Pools fans at the Suit Direct Stadium, the campaign will of course also help increase revenues for the Club and we believe will enhance the reputation of Pools as a family friendly, inclusive fanbase.
An example of how powerful this incentive can be is seen in feedback received from HartGables in December, when tickets were bought for the Pools v Scunthorpe game:
“Last year we worked with Hartlepool United Supporters Trust to find out why some vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community felt worried about going to the match. This year HUST helped those people attend their first match in a very long time and what a brilliant time they had!
Many football clubs around the country support the national campaign Rainbow Laces to spread the message that football should be inclusive to all – our local supporters club are not only doing that, but they have also given people an opportunity to alleviate fears and once again be a part of something they love.“
Look out for more on how you can support on social media and we hope that as many Poolies as possible get behind the campaign!
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If you are a local Business and are interested in becoming a corporate partner for the campaign, then please email community@hufcsupporterstrust.org.uk.