We spoke to SULSESC treasurer Chris Vaughan about the supporters club ahead of the visit of the Cod Army.
“When the London Supporters’ Club was formed way back in 1987, we had no idea that it would prove as durable as it has,” said Chris.
“We didn’t know whether it would last a few months, a few years or whatever, but here we are now, getting ready to celebrate its 30th birthday in August.
“There were six of us who met up for the inaugural meeting in The Chandos, a Sam Smith’s pub just off Trafalgar Square, to discuss forming a London branch. Mark Borrill from Milton Keynes was elected the first chairman, I took on the role of treasurer and Andy Skeels became the secretary. Andy wrote to Don Rowing, who was the United secretary at the time, and Don wrote back to confirm that SULSESC would be recognised as an official branch of the Supporters’ Club.
“From those small acorns, SULSESC has gone from strength to strength and we have built up a solid hardcore of probably 60-70 members over the years. There have been several seasons when we’ve had well over 100 members.
“One of the main aims when we were first drawing up a constitution was that we would be non-profit making and that any funds we raised would be given to Scunthorpe United by means of sponsorship.
“To begin with, in the very early days, we managed to drum up enough money to sponsor a player’s kit and probably a matchball and that was about it. But in more recent times, we’ve been able to do more. Now, we always try to sponsor three players’ kit each season in memory of former members who have sadly passed away and for around the last 10 years or so, we have been able to sponsor a match too.
“It’s usually one of the highlights of the SULSESC calendar as we manage to get 25 or 30 members up to Glanford Park for lunch in the restaurant. On Saturday for the Fleetwood match, there will be 29 of us there.”
Membership of SULSESC is open to those United supporters who don’t actually live in Scunthorpe itself and although the vast majority of members do live in the capital and the south east, the London branch has members all across the UK and even overseas. Former chairman Bob Dook, for instance, has lived in Singapore for many years but still manages to attend around a dozen United matches every season!
“I would think it’s only very, very rarely that United would play a game without there being at least one SULSESC member there,” continued Chris.
“We try to arrange club trips to games as often as we can but obviously things like Tuesday night home matches at Glanford Park are not easy for those of us down south, given the distance involved and people’s work commitments, never mind the problem of getting around the M25 without being stuck in a jam for hours and missing the kick-off.
“We have been quite lucky this season in a way because apart from the handful of clubs in the North West, League One doesn’t have too many really long distance trips for us. We have a fair number of games in London and the South East and for matches in the capital like Charlton and Millwall, we would normally expect a SULSESC turn-out of something like 40 or 50 members.
“We are also hoping for a good turn-out in August when we mark the 30th anniversary of SULSESC’s formation. Just like SULSESC, The Chandos at Trafalgar Square is still going so it seems appropriate for us to head back to where it all began for a bit of a do!”
For further details and information about joining SULSESC, visit the club’s website at www.sulsesc.com or e-mail: sulsesctravel@gmail.com.
We hope Andy Skeels and his guests from SULSESC have a great afternoon with the club and thank them for their continued sponsorship of the club. Special thanks must also go to Mr Callum Lamb who is our matchball sponsor.
