In October 2020 Exter City were offering a free first team shirt to all season ticket renewals for the season 2020/21 when games were being played behind closed doors.
Although this gesture by the club was taken up by many, there were a small group who requested that their free shirt be donated to an ECFC worthy cause. As such, a scheme was set up whereby any donated shirts would be given to deserving local team that would be nominated by Exeter City Community Trust [ECCT], who already work with such teams in the Exeter area.
Although not enough shirts were donated to fit out a complete team, there were enough for the Club to offer an alternative idea. ECFC offered to credit the scheme with the retail cost of the shirts, so that these monies could then be used to purchase alternative shirts, in a similar colour & style, from the club’s kit supplier. The style decided on closely resembles the ECFC 1913/1915 strip but with short sleeves, that is the strip ECFC wore when the toured Brazil in 1914. It was then agreed that any extra costs would be underwritten by two of the fans fund raising groups, Grecian Goals & Cans4City.
At this point a huge vote of thanks must go to Nick Wild, the club shop manager, who sourced and ordered the kit, plus suggested a few extra additions to the order that would enhance the overall ‘professionalism’ of the receiving team. This included a full goal keeper’s kit with gloves, cap etc, footballs, training bibs, shirt numbers and what no team must be without, a sponsor’s logo on the front of the shirt. Here, after a few different ideas, he came up with the perfect link to ECFC The Trust, who once asked were more than happy to be the team shirt Sponsor!
After consultation with ECCT a recipient team was identified and this was Exeter Utd, who are a football team drawn from Refugees settling in the Exeter area. Due the them playing mainly on Saturdays, and also the effects of Covid-19 on all sports fixtures, a date for the formal presentation of the strip has been hindered, but finally a date was been set and that was to hand over the kit at half time during ECFC’s home game against Harrogate Town.