This year's Nonsuch Park 10K Charity Fun Run will now be held on Sunday 26 February at 11am, after the event was postponed on 5 February due to the bad weather. Our own Mike Bryant is taking part to raise funds for the Football Development Plan and a local charity. If you would like to sponsor Mike please email commercial@suttonunited.net with your pledge.

We will  be making a collection on his behalf at the home game against Weston-super-Mare on Saturday 25 February, and if you can help by going round the ground with a collecting bucket either before the game, at half time and at the end of the game, please email the above address or call Graham Baker on 07816 088281.

For further information on the Fun Run, or if you would like to enter, please contact Mark Caswell of MCC Promotions on 07977 831519, and don't forget to go along to Nonsuch Mansions and Park on Sunday 26 February to support Mike on his run.

FA Charter Standard Community Club

The first community fun day of the season, in partnership with the local Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, took place on Saturday 24th September 2011. The ever more popular event attracted a match crowd of 1332, the club's largest league crowd of the season to date.

On a warm Autumn day around 750 local school children and parents enjoyed the many attractions which included face painting, the chance to meet their local Metropolitan Police officers. The children received free gifts and souvenirs with Sainsbury in attendance to supply the free refreshments.

Hundreds of children invited to the event again took part in the Smith & Byford sponsored penalty shootout competition battling down to just 2 winners at half-time walking away with the coveted prizes. The presentations were made by club guest of the afternoon Comedian Tim Vine, who can be seen below shaking the hand or paw? of 'Jenny the giraffe' shortly after smashing his penalty past the hapless club mascot. All under the gaze of Gordon stractham who I don't think will be looking to further either's football careers.

The first Community Fun Day of the season in association with the Metropolitan Police Sutton West Safer neighbourhood team will take place on Saturday 24th Maidenhead 2011 at our home league match against Maidenhead United.

The event which has become ever popular with local school children over the past few seasons has gone from strength to strength with the last one swelling the crowd of the day to 1552 the highest Ryman league attendance of the season outside the playoff matches.

All Children can join in the fun for just £1 (when accompanied by an adult) entry to the day even if not part of one of the participating schools. plenty of activities and gifts including, free Sweets, balloons, drinks, face painting. A chance to meet the METS PCSO Steve with his airwave radio friend Alpha, along with our very own and lovable ‘Jenny the Giraffe’. Radio Marsden will be in attendance along with many more attractions to be confirmed over the few weeks....

The pre match entertainment includes the METS Sutton West Safer Neighbourhood team’s Penalty shootout competition sponsored by our good friends Smith & Byford with the final and presentations at half time, so we sure to cheer your school on.

Your local Metropolitan Police's Sutton West Safer Neighbourhoods team will be on hand to meet with local people. If you have any issues relating to community policing or wish to discuss any aspect in your area go and have a chat.

Sutton United is delighted to become the world’s first Planet Positive football club.

Everyone will be aware of the threat that we all face from climate change and businesses across the globe are working hard to reduce their own carbon footprints, to be more efficient in the ways that they use energy. Of course, some people remain sceptical of the effect of human activities on the planet’s atmosphere but the beauty of energy efficiency as a means of mitigating the impacts of climate change is that it remains a good thing to do irrespective of the accuracy of the science. Who wouldn't want to use less energy and save money ?

To read more on the Planet Postive initiative Click here...

After a summer hiatus, the Radio Marsden Sports Show returns this Saturday 2pm - 6pm.

Presented by Lucy Conquest and Jason Reynolds, there will be the usual focus on all of our local non-league clubs, including the second leg of the Sutton Advertiser Cup between Sutton Utd & Carshalton Athletic, together with the many friendlies that are taking place on the eve of the new season.

We will also be featuring AFC Wimbledon's first-ever Football League game which is against Bristol Rovers this Saturday. We will be speaking to Dons manager Terry Brown and also AFC Chief Executive Erik Samuelson about their rise through the leagues and what the momentous achievement means for the club and its' supporters.

You'll hear about all of the goals as they go in and a brand new Sports Show Challenge will be unveiled.

Sutton United FC proudly supported the Annual Cheam Community Football Week. The Event held at Cheam Park 25th-29th July 2011 saw the ever popular free coaching event attract over 400 local younger's age 6-11.

The 5 day event is run by the Metropolitan Police Cheam Safer Neighbourhood Team in association with Sutton United and sponsored by local businesses. Veteran U's Goal Keeper Clive Offer kindly donated his time to provide the children with a excellent 2 hour coaching session. On Friday Jenny the Giraffe attended the final awards ceremony.

You may just notice 'Jenny' pictured here with children from the event and Met Officers who ran the highly successful event.

FA Charter Standard Community Club

Our good freinds and community partners Radio Marsden are delighted to annouce the 2011 Sutton Country Music Festival.

On Sunday 10th July, in the grounds of the Royal Marsden Hospital at Sutton (Cotswold Road entrance), they will be showcasing six live acts, beginning at 10.30am.

Among the acts appearing on the day will be Kickin’ Country, Kevin Bull and the fantastic Bobby D Sawyer from Nashville.

There is free parking on site throughout the day and entrance is by donation as all monies raised go towards keeping Radio Marsden broadcasting to the patients of the two hospitals.

Bring a chair and your best dancing boots and join us for a fabulous day of country music entertainment.

Girls, are you interested in playing football ?

On Saturday 25th June Sutton United in conjunction with the local Little Leagues are holding an open girls’ football day which will include trials for new under 10 and under 11 Girls’ teams for the 2011-2012 Season.

All girls up to the age of 16 interested in football are invited to attend and there will be lots of football related events going on, including a girls’ exhibition match, penalty shoot-out competition and a 2 v 2 skills cage. So girls come along and give it a go!

To find out more about the Football Development Plan See FDP Section for full details....

On Friday the annual Supporters v Junior Managers match took place raising @£700 for the Junior club section. First team player Steve McKimm turned out for the supporters to help them register their first victory against the Junior managers in the annual event. First half Man of the first half was shared by Paul Loughlin (for his finger tip save and his goal assist) and Phil Clarke (four first half goals). The second half Man of the match again being the supporters' keeper this time Peter James after a string of close range saves saw the match end: Supporters 6 Junior Managers 4. For a full report and match photos click here.

On Saturday Roehampton College held their annual student event at GGL with around 400-500 students in attendance.

Sunday saw no let up as the Juniors held trials on the main pitch which was attended by @100 local children hoping to gain a place in one of the club's junior sides. With the number of teams set to increase next season as part of the Football Development Plan, keep up to speed with the latest additions and vacancies through the summer via our Junior News Section.. See Junior News Section....

Sunday evening saw the last action on the GGL pitch this season as it played host to the local Metropolitan Police team who took on the Royal Mail in a fundraiser which raised £200 for Help the Heroes.

This Friday the hallowed Gander Green Lane turf will host its annual Supporter’s v Junior Managers match in a fundraiser event for the Junior club section.

In what has become an annual event the supporters will again attempt to overturn their woeful form which has seen them soundly beaten by the clubs Junior section managers in both previous matches. It has been rumoured that this year the supporters have been attempting to sign the odd first team U's player to combat their general lack of fitness and resilience. It promises to be an action packed, fun evening with all money raised going to the junior section of the club in their quest to find tomorrows stars.

Sarah Bleksley is set to complete her amazing marathon of cycling to every league away match this season when she travels to Billericay Town this Saturday in aid of the Football Development Plan (FDP).

With over 900 miles covered and 20 away grounds visited so far Sarah is set to raise over £3000 in pledges if she completes the final journey successfully. All the money raised will go towards the clubs Football Development Plan which aims to provide state of the art sports facilities for Collingwood recreation ground. Sarah has received a warm welcome at all the grounds she has visited with many away supporters dipping in to their pockets to contribute to the fund.

Its not too late to pledge if you have not already done so, and you can keep up to date with Sarah's blog as she details her quite adventurous travels. A reminder to all those who have pledged money throughout the season that you will find payment details on the pledge page.

Sarah wishes to thank everyone for their unbelievably support whether through donations, pledges, lifts home or just encouragement which has helped her keep going throughout the season.

To find out more about the Football Development Plan See FDP Section for full details....

Would you like to play football in a junior team for the newly crowned Ryman Premier Champions!? We are pleased to announce open trials for new players/teams to play 7-aside mini football and newly introduced 9-a-side for this coming season 2011/12. Our teams currently play in the Epsom & Ewell League (Saturdays) and Surrey Youth League (Sundays).

The sessions will be held on the main pitch of Sutton Utd FC by managers/coaching staff. Players from U9 - U11 should be of a reasonable standard and preferably already playing either youth league or Little League level.

Having recently achieved FA Community Standard our junior coaches have attained the minimum FA Coaching Certificate Level 1 or Level 2. Our 7-a-side games are played at Sutton Cricket Club, Cheam Village on arguably the best pitches in the area, with the 11 a side teams playing at Collingwood Rec adjacent to Sutton Utd’s main stadium.

The second community fun day of the season, in partnership with the local Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, took place on Saturday 16th April 2011. The ever more popular event attracted a match crowd of 1552, not only the club's largest crowd of the season to date but also capturing the highest attendance for any match in the Ryman Premier League for season 2010/11.

On a warm spring day just under 1000 local school children and parents enjoyed the many attractions which included face painting, the chance to get to see a fire engine up close, a look at the Metropolitan Police CCTV van in operation, free gifts such as sweets drinks and club souvenirs and more.

Hundreds of children invited to the event again took part in the Smith & Byford sponsored penalty shootout competition battling down to just 2 winners at half-time walking away with the coveted prizes. Radio Marsden, the club's charity of the season, broadcast their Saturday afternoon sports show live from the ground on what turned out to be a historic afternoon as although not confirmed for 24hrs the team's 8th consecutive home win had seen them clinch the Ryman League championship.

The second Community Fun Day of the season in association with the Metropolitan Police Sutton West Safer neighbourhood team will take place on Saturday 16th April 2011 at our home league match against Hastings United.

The event which has become ever popular with local school children over the past few seasons has gone from strength to strength with the last one swelling the crowd of the day to 1253 just 12 short of the highest Ryman league attendance of the season.

All Children can join in the fun for just £1 (when accompanied by an adult) entry to the day even if not part of one of the participating schools. plenty of activities and gifts including, free Sweets, balloons, drinks, face painting. A chance to meet the METS PCSO Steve with his airwave radio friend Alpha, along with our very own and lovable ‘Jenny the Giraffe’. Radio Marsden (our elected charity of the season) will be broadcasting their Saturday Sports show live from the event, to both hospitals and across the globe on the Internet. Sutton Fire Station will be sending a fire crew and Engine to give fire prevention advice and much more....

The pre match entertainment includes the METS Sutton West Safer Neighbourhood team’s Penalty shootout competition sponsored by our good friends Smith & Byford with the final and presentations at half time, so we sure to cheer your school on.

Your local Metropolitan Police's Sutton West Safer Neighbourhoods team will be on hand to meet with local people. If you have any issues relating to community policing or wish to discuss any aspect in your area go and have a chat.

The day has been identified as one to recognise the valuable work undertaken by Carers in the London Borough of Sutton.

The day is focused on giving registered carers a day out with free entry to the important Ryman Premier League match against Canvey Island as guests of Sutton Carers’ Centre and Sutton Utd FC. A number of carers are also to be invited to attend for a pre-match lunch. A key message of the day will be to raise the profile of the Sutton Carers’ Centre and to raise some money for the Centre and its vital work.

In addition, the club is honoured to announce the attendance of a number of local dignitaries to the day.

As a FA Charter Standard Community Club SUFC is proud to engage with all members of the diverse community in which it resides”

FA Charter Standard Community Club

The search begins for Surrey grassroots football clubs, coaches and volunteers.

The FA and its Community Partner, McDonalds, have today announced that nominations for the second FA Community Awards are now open. The awards aim to recognise and reward grassroots clubs and volunteers across the country, the unsung heroes of grassroots football in communities across England , and they want people in Surrey to get involved.

The Surrey County FA is calling on people from across the region for nominations for the eight award categories so that they can be recognised for their achievements.

The eight award categories are:
• Outstanding Contribution Award
• The FA Community Club Award
• The FA Development Club Award
• The FA Charter Standard Club Award
• Volunteer of the Year Award
• Young Volunteer of the Year Award
• Coach of the Year Award
• The FA Charter Standard League Award

Closing Date 18^th March 2011

For more details see our website http://www.surreyfa.com/News/2011/02/NominationsNowOpenFor.htm

The sessions will run from 1st March 2011 for a MINIMUM of 6 weeks. The sessions will continue after Easter if the numbers are good.

Nonsuch High School for Girls Every Tuesday Evening, 4:00pm — 5:00pm (Please bring suitable footwear for grass and Shin pads)

Nonsuch Playing Field, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Ewell Road, Cheam, SM3 8AB.

Following the preliminary indication from Surrey FA last summer, we received the following confirmation from the Football Association.

"We are pleased to inform you that Sutton United FC has achieved The FA Charter Standard Community Club status on 07 Feb 2011.

You will receive your certificate and a covering letter shortly.

Best wishes,

The FA Charter Standard team."

Congratulations to everybody involved in securing this achievement. Nobody should underestimate the work that had to go into this.

This initiative is aimed at acknowledging the great supporters we have at the Club and also raising money for the Football Development Plan and the Stadium Development.

The scheme involves sponsoring a brick that will be incorporated in a special Supporters’ Wall of Fame. The wall will be erected in a prominent part of the new development and will be a permanent record of the terrific supporters we have and also serve as a memorial for those loyal supporters who have passed away.

Each brick will cost £30 to sponsor and until such time as the development takes place a record will be kept of sponsors by way of a large “wall” displayed in the Stadium Bar. At this time you are not required to contribute any money merely to agree to sponsor a brick.

Please consider sponsoring a brick which will be a permanent record of your support for this great club. Sponsor early to choose your position in the wall.

The football development project setup to develop football at all levels and abilities within the community requires a Coaching Co-Ordinator. This exciting role as part of the FDP team will be responsible for developing a comprehensive coaching programme for the whole Club. The position will be the main point of contact for all coaching. The successful applicant will need to establish or possess a clear understanding of the FA coaching structure and available courses plus manage the changing culture of coaching/coaches within the club.

To find out more about this exciting role within the Football Development Team See FDP Vacancy Section for full details....

Sarah Bleksley is set to reach the halfway point in her cycle to all away league matches this season in aid of the Football Development Plan (FDP).

With 465 miles covered and 10 away grounds visited so far Sarah will achieve the 500 milestone if she successfully makes it to Horsham on Saturday. An amazing £1682.97 has been pledged so far in aid of the FDP which aims to provide state of the art sports facilities for Collingwood recreation ground. Sarah has received a warm welcome at all the grounds she has visited with many away supporters dipping in to their pockets to contribute to the fund.

Its not too late to pledge if you have not already done so, and you can keep up to date with Sarah's blog as she details her quite adventurous travels.

To find out more about the Football Development Plan See FDP Section for full details....

Giraffes' do not usually go out in a foot of snow - but this one did! Yes, the heaviest snow fall in 20 years wasn't going to stop Jenny the Giraffe and a merry band of Sutton Utd Club representatives visiting the children and staff of Queen Mary's Hospital in St. Helier.

Jenny suitably kitted out in her special Santa hat along with Steve McKimm, Clive Baxter and Kennedy Adjei distributed gifts to the children kindly donated by Flair Leisure Products, and chocolates to the staff of the children's ward.

Jenny also wanted to say a big thank you to Tony, John, Gareth and Dan for making sure she got there on time to meet the boys and girls - and got her home! Thanks also to Ronayne Marsh-Brown who drove all the way from West London but sensibly went straight home before the visit because of the worsening road conditions.

This Saturday 18th December in what has become an annual event, manager Paul Doswell and members of the team will visit Queen Mary's Children's hospital at St Helier to distribute gifts to children and staff. The visit which starts at 11am will also see our club Mascot 'Jenny the Giraffe' in attendance. She will be on her best behaviour and has been told not to make a nuisance of herself, although this does appear unlikely.

Radio Marsden will make an announcement next week, as part of their continued local community focus they will be launching the Borough's first dedicated sports show on Saturday 11th December commencing at 2pm.

The show which has been in the planning for a number of months now will give live updates and reports from the afternoons local sports action. This includes regular updates from our matches commencing at Eastleigh, the show will also include reports from other local teams in action and non-league scores.

It will be the first time that the area has had its own show dedicated to sport within the Borough of Sutton and surrounding area. Sutton United wish our community partners every success in the venture and hope that our supporters will tune in.

On Saturday November 27th we were please to have as our guests for the day 3 officers from the Metropolitan Police Sutton West Neighbourhood Team, who have been instrumental in helping the Community Fun Days become a huge success.

The club presented a Community Partnership Award in recognition in their work with us in reaching out into the local community and we look forward to continuing our partnership work with them.

The last fun day on 2nd October attracted more than 700 children to the club, helping to generate the largest home attendance of the season for the club with a crowd of 1,250. The club hope their next fun day in the spring will attract more than 1,000 youngsters.

'Jenny the giraffe' presents Jason Reynolds chairman of our elected charity of the season 'Radio Marsden' with a cheque for £304 before our home match against Billericay Town. The money raised in sponsorship of Jenny's credible 5th place in the world famous Mascot race which took place at Huntington race course on October 3rd. Radio Marsden, staffed by volunteers provides a vital radio link for patients of the world famous Royal Marsden Hospitals based in Hammersmith and Sutton.

On Saturday November 20th Radio Marsden Chairman Jason Reynolds accepted the clubs first Community Partnership Award in recognition in their work with us in reaching out into the local community. In particular Radio Marsden have been a key partner in helping to make the community fun days a success and we look forward to continuing our partnership work with them.

This Saturday we look forward to welcome members of the Metropolitan Police Sutton West safer neighbourhood team to collect their award.

It's coming back! After the huge success of the 1st NHS health awareness day we have planed another for Saturday 27th November at our home league game against Wealdstone. You will be able to join Jenny the Giraffe, Chairman Bruce Elliot and other members of the board for free blood pressure checks and health advice.

The team will be in the Times Square Function Room from 2.00pm to take your blood pressure and give advice on how to stay healthy and happy.

We are delighted to currently be hosting a visit from the President of Sutton United Gambia, Basiru Susso. On Wednesday 17th November you can have your chance to quiz Basiru about football and life in general in The Gambia, and maybe get a few clues as to who the mysterious Walter might be, as we hold "An Evening With Bas".

Admission will be just two pounds, including assorted snacks, and all profits will of course go to SUFCG. The event will kick off in the Vice-Presidents' Lounge at 7.30. All pay on the door.

Jenny joined Chairman Bruce and other members of the Board for free blood pressure checks and advice on health at last Saturday’s match.

The friendly helpful team from NHS Sutton and Merton will be back on Saturday 20th November, so don’t miss out on this opportunity for your free health check!

The team will be in the Times Square Function Room from 2.00pm to take your blood pressure and give advice on how to stay healthy and happy.

A great performance by Jenny saw her finish a credible 5th behind 'Barnet's Bumble the Bee' in this years world famous Mascot race at Huntington Race Course on October 3rd 2010.

Sarah Bleksley continued her mammon task of cycle to all away league matches this season by successfully completing a gruelling 2 day journey to Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast. In doing so she has now taken the amount pledged so far over the £1000 for the 'Football Delevopment Plan' helped with donations from the fans of the home club. Follow Sarah's blog in itself an epic journey:

If you are a professional cyclist taking part in, say, the Tour de France, then you are accompanied by a support car to ensure that you have adequate liquid and calorie intake and so on. But if you are cycling 131 miles without outside support, then you need to look after yourself. This means not doing anything stupid like attempting to cover that sort of distance in one day, because you will need to make regular stops to eat and drink. This prevents your body from eating itself to replace all the energy you are using. With this in mind, I allowed myself two days. However, I still wanted to cover as much ground as possible on the Friday, as I only had until 3pm on the Saturday. This involved an early start to escape central London before the morning rush-hour took its hold......To Read On....

On what turned out to be a damp afternoon the popularity of the event shone through the raindrops with the attendance of 1253. Not only the best of the season for the club but also the leagues highest until our own away game against Lowestoft which saw the total eclipsed by just 12.

The event owes much of it success to our Community partners The Metropolitan Police Sutton West Safer Neighbourhood team who's schools programme attracted over 700 local children and parents to the day. The Smith & Byford sponsored penalty shoot out competition saw hundreds of children competing to lift the converted trophies. Also in attendance on the day was Radio Marsden our elected charity of the season and the children enjoyed free sweets, drinks and face painting. The clubs trust put on a exhibition of our ambitious plans to provide state of the art community facilities in Collingwood Recreation Ground.

Sarah Bleksley will be interviewed on talkSPORT radio tomorrow at around 12:15pm to talk about her amazing away travel cycle which has already seen just under £1000 pledged in aid of the Football development project (FDP). With 4 grounds visited already including the 60 mile trip to Hastings, Sarah will this Saturday be embarking on the mammoth journey to Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast a trip of 150 miles.

Don't forget to visit Sarah's blog on her adventures but more importantly don't forget to make your pledge on the pledge page where it looks although we are just about to blow the top off our thermometer.

A great performance by Jenny to finish 5th. She really did produce a burst of speed in the middle and later parts of the race and was catching the leaders with every stride Prior to the race she was chosen by the CBBC TV people for a special feature where she was chased by a leopard but it was all playful fun and she was without question the most popular for photos with the kids. She was tallest mascot, towering over most of the others. Obviously word of Jenny had got round because she was recognised by a few of the other mascots who came over to say hello. We have plenty of photographs and will receive a video of the event soon. The eventually winner was a Bee from Barnet but Jenny did us proud and has a nice medal for her efforts.

Photos and Video to follow shortly on Jenny's home page... 

With the weather forecast looking good for Saturday's first Community Fun Day of the season in association with the Metropolitan Police Sutton West Safer neighbourhood team. Applications for tickets to attend the days activities have hit unprecedented levels. Don't forget that all Children can join in the fun for just £1 (when accompanied by an adult) entry to the day even if not part of one of the participating schools. plenty of activities and gifts including, free Sweets, balloons, drinks, face painting. A chance to meet the METS PCSO Steve with his airwave radio friend Alpha, along with our very own and lovable ‘Jenny the Giraffe’. Radio Marsden (our elected charity of the season) will be here too and will be reporting back not only live to both hospitals but across the globe on the Internet. The pre match entertainment includes the METS Sutton West Safer Neighbourhood team’s Penalty shootout competition sponsored by our good friends Smith & Byford with the final and presentations at half time, so we sure to cheer your school on.

 
The theme for the day is ''The Importance of Football in the Community'', and the Sutton United Supporters' Trust will have a marquee in the ground along with a small exhibition in the Times Sq Lounge highlighting the club's 'Football Development Plan' which aims to introduce state of the art facilities for all levels of football and all abilities at Collingwood Recreation Ground in this exciting and ambitious £2.5 million project. 

Your local Metropolitan Police's Sutton West Safer Neighbourhoods team will be on hand to meet with local people. If you have any issues relating to community policing or wish to discuss any aspect in your area go and have a chat.

The race is part of Sunday's Huntingdon race meeting and family fun day. The first race is at 2.10pm, but as we need to make sure Jenny is well prepared for her maiden outing, the coach will need to leave GGL at 9.15am. The last race is at 5.05pm so we would anticipate getting back to GGL around 7.30pm. Racecourse entrance is £8, although we may be eligible for a group discount if enough people sign up.

Funds raised for 'Jenny's' run will go to the Radio Marsden who provide a vital service for cancer patients Hospital, so please come and make a donation a our Community Fun Day this Saturday.

Sutton United FC is proud to announce its elected charity of season 2010/11 as Radio Marsden, who are now in their 41st year of providing Radio for both Royal Mardsen hospitals (Sutton / Fulham ). The station which receives no funding from the famous hospitals relies on volunteers to keep the vital patient service running. Due to the success of their 40th anniversary FM community licence which allowed them to broadcast direct to the London Borough of Sutton for a month in 2009, the station has this month gone digital and can be found live on the Internet. Live streaming allows patients and relatives to take part and hear the same shows even though they maybe many miles apart maintain a sense of togetherness for what is for many a very difficult time.

We look forward to welcoming Radio Marsden at our community fun day on October 2nd where they will be broadcasting from the event and be awarded with their charity of the season status.

It seems that Jenny the Giraffe our lovable club mascot just can't sit still, a busy week has seen her launch her own official website and Twitter pages. In addition the soon to be world famous Jenny the Gander Green Giraffe is to enter the World Famous Mascot Grand National at Huntingdon Race Course on Sunday 3rd October. Lets hope she manages to find plenty of acacia leaves to build her strength and fitness up between now and the race.

Check out Jenny's very own official Sutton United homepage where you can join her Twitter group and become a follower. You will also be able to get regular updates on how Jenny's preparations are going for the big race, and find details on how to sponsor her. 

Follow Sarah's blog as she cycles to every away game in 2010/11 in aid of the Football Development Fund. Be sure to signup and make your pledge and help us make the Football development plan a reality.

"People keep asking me "why are you doing this?" or, more straighforwardly, simply telling me that I'm mad. Maybe I am, because the truth is that I have always kind of wanted to do this. I have been a home-and-away fan for several years, and this season I just thought I'd do something a bit different. I'm a keen cyclist, but don't get much time to do anything interesting with it. Cycling to all our away matches in a season seemed challenging enough to really test me, but also a fun way of keeping fit and raising money for the club! And it is going to be really, really tough...but hopefully I can do it, and hopefully in doing so I can raise enough money to make a contribution to the FDP that we can all be proud of."