Brighton Fans helping save the Racecourse

Last updated : 17 November 2004 By Bob Gear

TENS of thousands of football fans are putting aside tribal differences on Saturday in a mass display of unity to save one of the football league's oldest clubs.

The Fans United day of action on Saturday 20 November will see peaceful demonstrations at every football ground in England and Wales as well as a huge gathering of fans from different clubs at Wrexham FC's Racecourse Ground.

On Tuesday Wrexham FC applied to go into administration and will be docked 10 points by the Football League should this occur.

They still face the possibility of liquidation, should this happen Wrexham will be the first football league club to go out of existence since Aldershot FC in 1992.

Many fans believe the club's plight is due to its owner Alex Hamilton, who wants to sell the ground for over £6million to property developers.

In any case Wrexham FC is living on borrowed time after 132 years of league football.

You can help by supporting one of two campaigns running this Saturday.

Fans United: football fans are being invited to wear their club colours and attend Wrexham's home game against Bristol City on Saturday 20 November - kick-off 3pm. They are asked stand alongside Wrexham fans and watch what could be Wrexham's last ever league game.

Brighton & Hove Albion FC are printing the back page of the programme as red so that fans can support Wrexham's plight. Many Fanse will be wearing Red Shirts for this game. Petitions and donation buckets will be at Withdean on Saturday.

Wear Red for Wrexham: those fans who cannot make the trip to the Racecourse are asked to wear something red - or even carry a piece of red card - to their own team's match on the same day. They are asked to stand for 15 seconds at the kick-off to their match to show solidarity with Wrexham FC.

About 30 Brighton fans are attending Wrexhams game against Bristol City on Saturday in Brighton Colours.

A Fans United spokesman and life-long Brighton supporter Nic Outterside said: "It is 12 years since Aldershot FC went bust and in that time many other football clubs have gone to the brink. In many cases these crises have been due to mismanagement or sheer greed of club owners or chairmen.

"When we lost our own ground - sold by our chairman Bill Archer to build a retail park - we came within inches of going out of existence. Even now our club is homeless and survives on a season by season basis.

"The danger of Wrexham folding is real and it would create a domino effect which could see many more towns lose their football clubs forever.

"I urge every right thinking football fan to take part in next Saturday's day of action."

Further information:

website: www.clubsincrisis.com

email: fansbehindwrexham@hotmail.com