More than a thousand young children will receive an unexpected present in the run-up to Christmas – their very own Crawley Town FC shirt.

Across December, 1,200 shirts will be distributed to Year one children at 19 primary schools across the Crawley borough as part of the Shirts 4 Schools initiative, led by principal sponsor The People’s Pension, Crawley Town FC, and the club’s Community Foundation. It is the fourth year of the scheme and since it began, more than 4,000 of the Red Devils’ distinctive red tops have been given to local four and five-year-old children, providing many of them with their first encounter with the League Two club.

Again, this year, together with the shirt, The People’s Pension is giving every child an activity pack, which includes a design a shirt competition. The overall winner will have their design screen printed onto a Crawley Town FC shirt which will be presented to them on the pitch by players at a game in the New Year, while their school will receive a framed copy of the winning design. Runners-up will receive vouchers to spend in the club shop, along with match tickets.

Stella Beale, Group Director of Marketing at B&CE, provider of The People’s Pension, said:
“We’re delighted to be able to deliver the Shirts 4 Schools initiative again, as it’s been a resounding success over the past four years. Like Crawley Town FC, we are rooted deep within our community and this is a perfect opportunity for us to give something back at the same time as bringing the town and the club even closer together.”

Alex Watts, Revenue Manager at Crawley Town Football Club, said:
“As a club, we’re extremely pleased to be working with our principal sponsor The People’s Pension on the Shirts 4 Schools initiative again. Shirts 4 Schools would not be possible without The People’s Pension and we thank them for their continued support. This initiative is crucial in ensuring young people engage with the club to generate lifelong fans and make football more accessible for families across Crawley.”

On Thursday 2nd December, players, club representatives, Reggie the Red, and The People’s Pension team, will visit the Bewbush Academy to present children with their shirts.

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