May I extend a very warm welcome to the Players, Coaches, Directors and the Supporters of Gloucester City AFC to Westleigh Park. We look forward to competing on the field but remaining football friends, whatever the result.
Today is Non-league Day because there are no Premier League fixtures. I think this is the first time for some years that this day has fallen on a home fixture. The organisers of Non-league Day are encouraging people to team up with the NHS Blood & Transplant service to encourage as many as possible to donate blood, as there is always a shortage of blood, especially the rare groups. At present they are critically low.
Every day blood is needed to save lives. It is used in life-threatening emergencies, to combat cancer, fight sickle cell or provide lifesaving medicines to help babies’ hearts to continue to beat. The NHS requires approximately 5,000 units of blood daily to meet the needs of patients.
Despite a fantastic response to the Amber Alert which has kept stocks strong throughout the summer, with a shelf life of just 35 days, stocks need to be constantly replenished. With the Amber Alert now having been in place since July, there is an urgent need for existing donors to keep donating, as well as new O negative donors and donors of Black heritage to come forward. O negative is known as the universal blood type – it can be given to anyone and is vital in emergencies. And we urgently need more donors of Black heritage to help people with sickle cell who need ethnically matched blood.
Please try and help if you’re able. The donor helpline is 0300 123 23 23.
This year Atletico Bilbao and La Liga have launched a version of their own and will run a Basque Non-league Day this weekend for a third time, because they were impressed by previous Non-league Days in the UK. They were very impressed when they attended a fixture at Dulwich Hamlet on a previous Non-league Day. This top-flight La Liga club famously only sign players born in the Basque country and interestingly have some British roots. Besides playing a crucial role in local communities, grassroots football is a fundamental part of Athletic Club Bilbao’s youth development strategy and Athletic has affiliate agreements with close to 170 clubs across the Basque country.
This year the Athletic club have teamed up with six English non-league clubs that play in red and white stripes, like they do. The clubs are Altrincham, Bromsgrove Sporting, Evesham United, Sheppey United, Steyning Town. The final club is Witton Albion from Northwich Cheshire, the club I played for many years ago. They have provided one men’s and one women’s Athletic Club Bilbao shirt to raffle off at their respective Non-league Day fixtures.
All it leaves is for me to thank all our fans for your continued support. Get behind the boys today, as you always do, make some noise, the team love to hear you
