LIFESTYLE-Magazine-Winter-2016

#UpInLights...as Accrington Stanley confounds the critics by outperforming clubs with bigger budgets and aendances its supporters face a similar challenge by Peter Leatham Official Accrington Stanley Supporters Club (OASSC)

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s Accrington Stanley confounds the critics by outperforming clubs with bigger budgets and aendances; its supporters face a similar challenge. Like cash-strapped Coleman and Bell, who each season make mountains from molehills producing competitive teams, we at OASSC are smashing fundraising goals. Our £25,000 donation went a large way to funding the Fanzone atWhamStadium which is already a hit with home fans. This is now an integral part of the Clayton End development, skillfully erected by local company Readstone Construction. The classy refurb provides new refreshment and bar facilities, toilets and laundry and first aid rooms for the club. Overall the area is much enhanced from its original state and improves the fans match day experience significantly. The fundraising activities have continued with the launch of the ambitious #UpInLights project to provide an electronic screen at theWhamStadium. The initial financial target is £40,000 and a number of events and initiatives are underway. The first of these saw a number of supporters participate in the "Pedal us to Glory" cycle ride fromBlackpool's Bloomfield Road stadium back to theWhamStadium, in mid-October.

The OASSC is always looking for new members and those who may have a few hours to spare to help us with our many activities. The club has a monthly meeting in the Sports Bar at theWhamStadium on a Thursday and we are oen joined by special guests fromwithin the football club to assist with the proceedings. On a daily basis we have a small crew of volunteers staffing the OASSC andWham shop in the Accrington Market Hall. This opened in late February 2016 and has already proved popular with fans and shoppers alike. We stock a range of official club merchandise, as well as match tickets for all home fixtures. For the football enthusiast we have memorabilia and a supply of football books and programmes. A range of cookware fromWham is also carried as well as Plastic Box Shop products. We are always looking for donations of any football or sports memorabilia, books, programmes and the like, please contact us if you have any unwanted items. If you are down in the market hall please call in to visit us and you are assured of a warm welcome.

Arriving just prior to kick off of the league fixture between the two clubs, the OASSC team, with added funds from a prize draw, raised more than £2,600 towards the project. We’ve planned a car boot sale at the football club on Sunday 13th November and in 2017 there’s a visit to Accrington Golf Club for the ASFC Golf day, where teams of 3 will be joined by a player or staffmember to compete in the aernoons competition, followed by a presentation dinner. The date for this isWednesday 5th April - and full details will be published on the club website and via our social media channels. On the 29th of April we will stage the ASFC player of the year dinner in The Ballroom at Accrington Town Hall in what promises to be a great evening, hosted by Stanley stalwart and radio presenter, Stephen Lowe.

The Official Accrington Stanley Supporters Club is always looking for newmembers

Top and right: Views of the Fan Zone at Accrington Stanley’s Wham Stadium. Inset right: Accrington Stanley’s OASSC and Wham shop in Accrington market hall.

Now all we need is you; to support the supporters and join our team.

Official Accrington Stanley Supporters Club www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/supporters-club

ACCRINGTON STANLEY FOOTBALL CLUB Remaining 2016/17 Match Fixtures

Date

Opponents

V KO Comp

Date V KO Comp Sat 18th Feb Colchester United H 15.00 L2 Sat 25th Feb Doncaster Rovers A 15.00 L2 Tue 28th Feb Wycombe Wanderers H 19.45 L2 Sat 4th Mar Barnet H 15.00 L2 Sat 11th Mar Exeter City A 15.00 L2 Tue 14th Mar Leyton Orient H 19.45 L2 Sat 18th Mar Yeovil Town A 15.00 L2 Sat 25th Mar Grimsby Town H 15.00 L2 Sat 1stApr PlymouthArgyle A 15.00 L2 Sat 8th Apr Crewe Alexandra H 15.00 L2 Fri 14thApr Blackpool A 15.00 L2 Mon 17th Apr Crawley Town H 15.00 L2 Sat 22ndApr Newport County A 15.00 L2 Sat 29th Apr Luton Town H 15.00 L2 Sat 6th May Stevenage A 15.00 L2 Opponents

Sat 19th Nov Stevenage H 15.00 L2 Tue 22nd Nov Hartlepool United A 19.45 L2 Sat 26th Nov Yeovil Town H 15.00 L2 Sat 10th Dec Leyton Orient A 15.00 L2 Sat 17th Dec Plymouth Argyle H 15.00 L2 Mon 26th Dec Grimsby Town A 15.00 L2 Sat 31st Dec CreweAlexandra A 15.00 L2 Mon 2nd Jan Hartlepool United H 15.00 L2 Sat 7th Jan Cambridge United H 15.00 L2 Sat 14th Jan Cheltenham Town A 15.00 L2 Sat 21st Jan Carlisle United H 15.00 L2 Sat 28th Jan Morecambe A 15.00 L2 Sat 4th Feb Notts County H 15.00 L2 Sat 11th Feb Portsmouth A 15.00 L2 Tue 14th Feb Mansfield Town A 19.45 L2

For up to date information www.accringtonstanley.co.uk

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