Lewisham Borough FC to offer free season tickets in cost of living crisis

Non-league football team Lewisham Borough FC has pledged to offer free season tickets to anyone living in Lewisham as a way to help with the cost of living crisis.

The season tickets for the 2022/23 season, which usually cost £60, will be free to anyone who can show they live in the borough of Lewisham.

Lewisham Borough FC, who play home games at the Ladywell Arena in Silvermere Road, Ladywell, are a small, not-for-profit-football club founded in 2003, which plays in step six of the football pyramid – the SCEFL league – Division 1.

🚨ATTENTION PEOPLE OF LEWISHAM🚨

We understand that the cost of living is affecting everyone right now, but remaining true to our belief that their should be no boundaries to football we wanted to do something for our community for the new season

Please share and #UPTHEBORO pic.twitter.com/haKvcIvdsQ

— Lewisham Borough CFC (@LewishamBoroCFC) August 27, 2022

Aside from Millwall, it is the highest level team within the borough, and runs off a bank of around 10 volunteers.

One of the volunteers, Toby Palmer, said: “The purpose of the club really is to integrate within the local community and provide opportunities and activities to young people. Our average age of the squad is only 22 due to so many being developed by our fantastic youth teams.

“The club’s players are from the surrounding areas, which we also are deeply proud of, as it is quite a deprived area, and we are a community team – as in our name – and we are staffed by a small team of volunteers, who go above and beyond to keep the club running.”

Mr Palmer said the goal of the club was to integrate with the rest of the Lewisham community so the area can be represented by a football club and to raise awareness.

He added: “It’s taken a lot of effort and time, but I’m hoping it pays dividends once we are able to get a few more fans come and they stick, they bring their friends, kids, etc. It’s really about embracing the community.

“We’re very proud that we feel we represent the borough in that our players and volunteers all live in Lewisham. Yes, there’s Millwall, but we want to be the non-league, for now, club of the ‘blue borough’ – a borough which may not get the same opportunities and funding as other boroughs, so we wanted to do our part in putting something back into the community by offering every resident a free ticket.”

Any businesses hoping to do sponsor work with Lewisham Borough FC can contact Toby at toby.palmer@lbcfc.co.uk

Pictured top: Lewisham Borough FC in blue line up against Broadbridge Heath for a 2022 FA Vase match at Ladywell Arena (Picture: Laura Harding)