Marine could miss out on around £100,000
Non-league side Marine have been forced to think outside the box in a bid to claw back some of the money the club would have generated had fans been allowed to attend their FA Cup clash with Tottenham.
The Northern Premier League Division One North West were drawn against the Premier League side in the third round of the competition and, with their stadium located in Merseyside, had been granted permission to allow 500 supporters through the turnstiles for the game.
However, with the government tightening restrictions in a bid to limit the surge in new coronavirus cases, the area has now been moved to Tier 3, meaning the game will be played behind closed doors.
In normal circumstances, Marine would have expected to make around £100,000 from the game and in a bid to raise some of the funds they would have received, they are now staging a virtual match ticket raffle.
Dear Football World; following the decision not to allow fans to our FA Cup game with @SpursOfficial, we have launched a virtual match ticket with a raffle to replace lost revenue. Prizes include becoming our manager for a friendly game! Please help & RT 🙏https://t.co/yOOcuCIMI6
— Marine Football Club (@MarineAFC) December 31, 2020
Virtual tickets are priced at £10 and one of the winners will be given the chance to manage the team for a friendly fixture. Other prizes include club season tickets, signed shirts and weekend hotel packages in Liverpool.
‘Yesterday we received the devastating news that the Merseyside region would be placed into Tier 3,’ a club statement from Marine read.
‘This has now forced our once in a lifetime FA Cup game at The Marine Travel Arena v Spurs to be played behind closed doors.
‘Our loyal fans have not been able to attend our Emirates FA Cup ties against Chester FC, Colchester Utd, Havant and Waterlooville and now Spurs with all games played with no fans.
‘It means too, the loss of attending what is without doubt the most magical FA Cup tie ever with the likes of Harry Kane and Jose Mourinho visiting Marine. It also means we have now lost c. £100k in potential revenue which is a disastrous blow for our football club. This has been compounded by a sponsor pulling out of a £20k advertising package for the game.
‘The Marine barometer will try and fill our 3,185 capacity stadium, the Marine Travel Arena. A club like Marine lives for this type of FA Cup run that can make or break the club’s future.
‘With this support, our magical FA Cup run will hopefully allow us to secure our future for years to come. We can’t express our gratitude enough for the support we have received so far from across the footballing spectrum.’
Their opponents for the game have already pledged their support by quote-tweeting their plea for help from the football community.
Spurs family, @MarineAFC need your support. Please help if you are able to. 👇 https://t.co/S5jls4QATF
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 31, 2020
