Martin Atherton

Brackley Town vs MK Dons – Get down to support a local team in need!

Last month, local non-league side Brackley Town suffered a devastating fire that tore through the clubhouse and bar area.

Whilst to many league football fans this may seem like an issue that can easily be fixed with money lying around, to the Saints this is a concern that could leave a lasting effect on the club and the people surrounding it.

For a non-league club like Brackley, money can often be very tight and every penny matters. It requires precise budget management and a lot of hard work to be able to stay sustainable at that level.

Having secured top seven finishes in the past three years – including two play-off performances, the former of which seeing them beaten by Harrogate in the final just a year after having avoided relegation on the final day  – it is very safe to say that the staff at Brackley do an unrivalled job in making the club competitive at that level. A credit to their town.

But to the residents of Brackley, the football club is far more than just a hobby. Far more than just something to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Through their “Saints Community Project”, the club offers support to those within the community who are most vulnerable and isolated due to recent changes within society.

Co-ordinated by local hero Kim Grantham, alongside the help of a trusty group of volunteers, the organisation runs a weekly coffee morning – complete with cake and lunch – for the elderly, those with learning disabilities, those with mental health issues.

Essentially, a fantastic opportunity for people who may perhaps feel otherwise excluded from society to mix and meet new friends.

The organisation now sees a group of over 50 local residents every week coming in to benefit from their help, but the project also puts on trips to places such as Millets Farm and Hatton Country Park.

It’s really difficult to put into words exactly how much these sort of events mean to people. The opportunity to get out of the house and see other people is a lifeline for some which wouldn’t be given to them were it not for the fantastic work that people like Kim put in.

Funding of course is largely secured through fundraising and alike. Charitable donations also come through local organisations and businesses: Tesco offer both produce and voluntary work to the coffee mornings alongside their other events, whilst the “Brackley Massive” supporters group recently donated £500, bringing their total to £1500 in contributions over the course of their existence.

But, as their official information page will tell you, the football club is at the heart of the project and provides a perfect base in which they can hold all of these life-changing events.

But that’s now the issue.

Due to the recent fire, the main clubhouse has been destroyed, taking away a space in which the club can hold such projects.

It will cost an extraordinary amount of money to be able to rebuild, money that clubs in the sixth tier don’t simply have lying around.

The biggest shame would be to see this project suffer as a result of the fire, and to see the people whose livelihoods are massively benefitted by such an organisation suddenly have all of this taken away from them.

But that’s where we can help!

As MK Dons supporters, we are encouraging as many of you as possible to make the short journey over to Brackley next Tuesday to give this club the support it needs and deserves.

It’s a mere 30 minute car journey from Milton Keynes via the A5 and A422 and is a lovely little ground to visit.

We normally take roughly 100 supporters to this game, but it would be fantastic if we could at least double this in order to give them the financial aid necessary. Entrance is £5 adults, £3 concessions and U18s go free. However, many fans will be doubling their entrance fee to encompass an extra donation.

We helped out Hyde a few years ago, so now let’s go again and help another non-league side that could really do with the support more than ever!

It’ll also be a fantastic opportunity to see Tisdale’s new look side take to the field in front of an audience for the first time, with the likes of Jordan Bowery, Joe Mason and Brennan Dickenson all putting on an MK Dons shirt for the first time.

So, make your way across to Brackley next week to see some great football but also to support a fantastic cause and a fantastic club. Or, if anything, a chance to see Carl Baker play once again!

2 comments

Leave a comment