The popular ‘Fans Player Scheme’ has been re-launched recently, with the aim once again to help securing the services of a player, or maybe encourage the exciting young talent we already have under our roof.
In previous seasons the FPS (and associated crowd funder) has been behind helping to bring Callum Howe and Nathan Arnold to the club. Both players had an impact last season as we won the National League, and both will feature heavily in our future too. With the club’s improved financial position we perhaps are lucky not to be as reliant on the fund as we have been, but that isn’t a reason to stop supporting it. A club should never rest on their laurels and fans do still want to contribute. The beauty of the FPS is that it isn’t all just ‘give, give’ give’ either. There’s some ‘take’ too in the form of prizes.
The new FPS has at least one prize money cannot buy, a spot on the incredibly successful fans training days. These are the sold-out fan experiences where you can go along and watch training, dine with the players and even watch the press conference live. Since their inception over a year ago they’ve become a staple of every Thursday down at Sincil Bank, and with good reason. The openness of our players and staff allows fans to get a real insight into how the club operates. You can’t buy these anymore, but through the FPS you can win one.
So what other prizes are on offer for those entering? There are three one-month passes at Total Fitness, as well as beer tokens for both the Golden Eagle and our own Travis Perkins suite. If you’re not a drinker there’s a lovely Ipswich away-day print of the fans at Portman Road. You might even win a replica shirt too!
Andy ‘Helgy’ Helgesen is behind the scheme once again and it has the blessing of both the club and in particular Danny Cowley. The overall aim is yet to be set in stone but it will either be to contribute towards a player in January, or to sponsor the wages of one we already have. Informal talks have already discussed the possibility of contributing towards our exciting young winger Ellis Chapman, first seen in the friendly against Lincoln United in the summer (which explains the picture above). Ellis was on the bench last night and is becoming a recognisable member of the first team squad. He’s only 16 and has a long way to go in his career, and Danny is keen not to pile pressure onto him.
Helgy said of the scheme; “The scheme has been successful in previous years and we’ve discussed maybe sponsoring Ellis in some way with the proceeds. That could provide yet another link between the fans and the club. To me that is very important, it’s a special connection that other clubs would give their right arm for. We must retain the closeness we had last season, just because everything is getting bigger and more professional does not mean our special bond should disappear.”
The FPS costs just £5 per month and runs in the same way as a raffle. Every month the prizes mentioned are drawn for and the winners announced on various social media outlets. There is also another option, £11.50 a month that also includes one match ticket per entry too.
Helgy added; “The second option was really successful last year. It gave fans the chance to attend when they might work a few Saturdays or where they live restricts them. With so many big crowds this season it is a good way to make sure you can get a ticket for one game a month.”
The scheme might have been re-launched but it has been generating income for some time now. In the last few days a cheque for £1000 has been handed over to the club, with the re-launch that level of input can continue with fans getting something back in return.
If you want to join the Fans Player Scheme, the best thing to do is get in touch with Helgy directly. He’s on the two Banter sites on Facebook, but if you’re one of the growing number of people moving away from those he can be emailed on samantha481@btinternet.com