Saturday’s game against Swindon Town at Edgeley Park has been selected as the club’s dedicated County Collective fixture, highlighting the work we’ve been doing to make the club a more inclusive environment for players, staff and supporters.
At County Collective, we are committed to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and embraced. Through a series of impactful campaigns and initiatives, we strive to create a more equitable and accepting environment, both within our Club and the wider community.
To help us achieve this goal, we’ve introduced a number of new initiatives around the ground since the start of the season. This includes an in-game text-message service for supporters to provide feedback or raise issues during a game, a quiet room at the ground which provides a safe, clam and controlled space for people to access on a matchday and the introduction of our friendly bench, which aims to combat loneliness and foster community connections.
As we plan forward for 2024, a survey was recently sent round to our adult and junior season ticket holders, as well as academy players, asking for feedback on what you would like to see implemented at Edgeley Park. Thank you to everyone who took part – the responses we received have all been carefully considered, and will shape the direction of County Collective and our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy for the year to come.
Everyone who took part in the survey was entered into a prize draw, with County fan Sam Jonas selected at random as the winner – picking up a £50 voucher to spend at the club
For a full list of the 11 campaigns introduced so far this season and information on how you can access them, click here. Also in attendance at tomorrow’s match, in the Together Stand, will be representatives from The Retreat Clinic, who will be available to talk to supporters about children’s mental health and wellbeing.
At Edgeley Park this weekend we’ll be promoting the use of each of these services, to raise awareness and ensure that every supporter has access to what they need in order to enjoy their time as a County fan.
Supporting the EFL’s Rainbow Ball campaign:
As part of the County Collective matchday, we will also be taking part in the EFL’s ongoing Rainbow Ball campaign this weekend, showing our support for the LGBTQ+ community.
To mark LGBTQ+ history month, EFL and Puma have teamed up to produce the world’s very first Rainbow ball, which will be in use at Edgeley Park on Saturday.
For every goal scored with the Rainbow Ball across the Championship, League One and League Two PUMA will make a donation to an LGBTQ+ Fans for Diversity Fund. The money raised will be utilised to support LGBTQ+ supporters and their projects which may include initiatives to raise awareness about inclusion in football, events promoting diversity, or providing resources for LGBTQ+ fans within the football community
As a football club we are fully committed to this important cause and are dedicated to making Edgeley Park a friendly and welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community. Club President Steve Bellis will also be joined on the pitch at half-time by representatives of Stockport’s LGBTQ+ community, who are coming to the game as special guests of the club, and we ask all supporters to get behind this campaign and help make it a day to remember for them.
