Fans urged to get on board with AFC Wulfs

The Midland League Premier Division outfit have set their sights on filling the main stand at their CKW Stadium in Castlecroft to help generate cash for the NHS heroes who are fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

And there won’t be any issues with social distancing because the club are looking for a full-house of cardboard cut-outs!

AFC Wulfs picked the idea up from German side Borussia Monchengladbach. Their fans have started a ‘Stay at home. Be in the stands’ campaign that has seen more that 8,000 cardboard cut-outs of themselves ordered to help fill Borussia-Park in the event that the Bundesliga returns behind closed doors, with the proceeds going to local charities.

Dave Rowley suggested the idea to his fellow committee members at AFC Wulfs and now it’s all systems go in a bid to fill the stand.

The cut-outs are available for £22 with £5 of that going to the NHS. Each subscriber will also get their name and photograph in the club’s programme and social media outlets. And there are plans to a host a designated NHS game next season to hand over the cash.

“The idea has been pinched with pride to be honest,” said Rowley. “We saw what Borussia Monchengladbach were doing, which is putting cut-outs of fans in the seats in their stadium.

“The stand at Castlecroft has about 450 seats and is perfect for this.

“We had a virtual committee meeting and everyone said ‘yeh, let’s go for it’.

“It’s not a big money-maker for us. It’s a bit of positive PR, a bit of fun and it raises some very worthwhile cash for a very good cause.

“Hopefully when all this is over, we can designate a game next season where people can come and collect their cut-outs.”

AFC Wulfs chairman Clive Morris and the rest of the committee have wasted no time supporting the idea.

“I think it’s a marvellous idea,” said Morris, who has been associated with the club for 27 years.

“All the committee are having one made. It’s good community stuff.

“It’s not really about the money for us. The cause is a very good one and it will help raise the club’s profile.

“We are a small community football club playing at a decent level of football and we want to promote our name a bit.”

And there was some more good news for the AFC Wulfs hierarchy as Morris revealed that manager Darren Goodall and his assistant Scott Moore had signed on for next season.

The team were 13th in the Premier Division when the season was brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic.

Their last game was a 1-1 draw at home to Selston on March 14.

Morris is pleased with the progress made under the duo in a highly-competitive league, where the majority of sides boast budgets far bigger than AFC Wulfs.

“We had a meeting with the management staff and they have agreed to carry on next year,”said Morris.

“We are pleased with how things are going, but I think Darren was frustrated with last season because there were quite a few games where we lost by the odd goal.

“Turn those games around and we would have probably been in the top six or seven.

“We also had to deal with losing players to sides with bigger budgets.

“I feel for Darren in a way because we can only do so much for him.

“It’s always a competitive league and, with our budget, if we can finish mid-table then we are happy.

“We are playing teams that get gates of three, four and sometimes five hundred.

“The youth team proved successful, Darren used a few of the lads from there.

“He is working with the youngsters as well and that is something we have to do. We have to bring players through into the first team.”

Next season might be on hold at the moment, but Morris and Co will be working away behind the scenes.

“We can’t give Darren and Scott any idea on budget and we can’t commit to anything until we know what is going on,” added Morris. “There might be a situation where we can’t have people in the bar or sitting in the stand. We don’t know.

“But we are all keen to carry on and we are preparing the pitch as normal and we are all going to do our bit for the club.

“We are a community club and there are a bunch of 12 or 13 of us who form the committee.

“We are determined now to kick on and we have got things in the melting pot that will hopefully help take the club forward.”

Anyone wishing to order a cardboard cut-out should call Dave Rowley 07951 731076.