Wolves make the final of the Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup!
A Ludlow based leading UK hedgehog conservation charity has announced the clubs who have made it to the final of football’s first ever Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup!
Run by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and sponsored by Hobsons Brewery, the Hedgehog Cup has seen 47 clubs in the Hedgehog Friendly Football League drawn to ‘play’ each other to score points through hedgehog-friendly actions.
Since launching in February, 45 clubs have been knocked out and now only two remain for the final: Northampton Town FC vs Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Premiership giants Wolves and League One’s the Cobblers now have six weeks to score as many points as possible as they battle it out for the coveted Hobsons Hedgehog Cup trophy.
So far in the Cup, the mighty Wolves has featured the campaign in matchday programmes, promoted hedgehog-friendly football online and placed ‘Check for hedgehogs’ stickers on their mowers.
Northampton Town, current leaders of the Hedgehog Friendly Football League, has handed out BHPS leaflets to fans, got Clarence the Dragon to promote the campaign and shared photos of fans helping hedgehogs in their local neighbourhoods.
The Cup has enabled smaller clubs to take on Premier League titans in the battle to win a piece of silverware that shows they care for wildlife – and has seen the likes of Oxford United take on Everton FC and Northampton Town beat Leicester City!
Fay Vass, Chief Executive at BHPS said: “Whilst there may not be many hedgehogs at the stadiums, there certainly will be in fans gardens and maybe at training grounds too, so it’s vital we get the message out there about being mindful of wildlife when we do maintenance or gardening and how we can help hedgehogs thrive in our community.
“This is the first ever Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup, and we’ve loved seeing clubs get stuck in and encouraging their Men’s, Women’s and Academy teams to get involved too.
“Hedgehog numbers are in serious decline and it’s more important than ever that we stand together to help protect their welfare and habitats – supporting initiatives like the Hedgehog Cup can really help us to make a real difference.”
Kate Pearce, Commercial Director at Hobsons, said: “We’re so pleased to be sponsoring the inaugural Hedgehog Cup – it’s a fantastic way for football clubs and fans to do something positive for hedgehog welfare and to help protect our native wildlife.”
The Cup and its associated Hedgehog Friendly Football League (HFFL) is designed to spread the word about hedgehog-safe groundskeeping, getting clubs to place ‘check for hedgehogs before using’ warning stickers on all their grounds maintenance machines, and encouraging fans to look after their own gardens and green spaces with hedgehogs in mind.
By Fay Vass - Contributor
