The Supporters' Club matchday 50/50 draw has provided vital funds for the Exeter City Academy over the years.
Dave Bennett and his intrepid team of volunteers have been selling the 50/50 Tickets on behalf of the Supporters' Club for many years.
Last season, a record 54984 tickets were sold and a sum of £27492 was raised. This year Dave and his team have already sold 38320 tickets raising £19160 up to and including the Cardiff City match. Lucky prize winners this season are better off to the tune of over £19000!
The audible groan around SJP from the less fortunate entries often leads to the question of where does the rest of the money go?
The money goes directly to the academy with a view to funding additional opportunities for academy players.
This season alone the under-9’s through to under-14’s have played fixtures away against Aston Villa and Chelsea. For several age groups, there have been visits to Arsenal, Manchester United, QPR and Birmingham City and an under-15 tournament with Wolves, Fulham, Brighton and NEC Brada at Millfield School. Academy teams attended a six team tournament at Stoke City and the U18s were able to benefit from trips to Keele University and 42 Commando Unit for their preseason tour.
As well as supporting the costs associated with these away games, the significant funding also enables the academy to purchase GPS equipment which is used to monitor and support the U16 and U18 players' physical development on a weekly basis.
For U7 to U18s, it enables them to purchase video analysis equipment such as video cameras, stands and analysis software and it also means the academy can update their equipment each year, replacing any damaged goals, nets, mannequins, footballs, bibs and cones.
All of this has helped the development of our young players on and off the pitch, so as you can imagine, they are incredibly grateful!
The Supporters’ Club also sponsors a player, usually an academy graduate, and this season’s player, George Birch, will always be remembered for scoring the best goal in the tie at the Etihad in the FA Cup 3rd Round.
The 50/50 draw has helped the likes of Dean Moxey, George Friend, Matt Grimes, Josh Key and, of course, Ollie Wakins to name a few.
Keep supporting Dave Bennett and his team and look forward to celebrating our next international player and take pride in saying, “He was one of our own!".