Community Fun Day 16th April 2011

Sutton United Football Club in community partnership with the Metropolitan Police Sutton West Safer Neighbourhood team. Delivering the safer neighbourhood message to children in local schools across the borough through the fun of football.

The second fun day of the season attracted nearly 1000 kids and parents to the event swelling the match day crowd to 1552, the largest attendance for any Ryman league game this season and beating the previous fun day crowd record of 1253 but quite some distance. The day was helped with some fine early Spring sunshine and warm conditions.

The event which continues to go from strength to strength was open to invited children from schools across the borough. The children enjoyed the many festivities of the day including the hotly contested and converted penalty shootout competition before the U's vitally important match against Hastings United. Free face painting was on hand along with a chance for the kids to get up close to a real Fire Engine and get some fire safety advice courtesy of the Sutton fire Station and Blue Watch.

The Metropolitan Police Sutton Safer Neighbourhood team of officers were on hand to talk to local people and gave the those attending the opportunity to see the workings of the Police mobile CCTV camera unit. Along with Free sweets and drinks the children were given club scarves, blow horns and a number of other free gifts to add to the party atmosphere.

Radio Marsden broadcast the entire preceding's from the ground as part of their live Saturday afternoon sports show covering local sport from the borough to both hospitals and across the globe on the Internet. The club very own mascot Jenny the Giraffe was also present to ensure the children had a good time. .

The theme of the day was the 'importance of football within the community' and promote the clubs ambitious �2.5 million Football Development Plan to provide state of the art facilities for the local community in the adjacent Collingwood recreation ground.

Children and parents got the chance to Meet their local Safer Neighbourhoods officers  

The winners of the Penalty competition receive their trophies from Club Chairman Bruce Elliot and Smith & Byford's Carl Burrows at Half Time.

Left: Children taking part in the penalty competition test their skill against the METS Safer Neigbourhood team goal keepers in front of the main stand.