Children to wear tangerine colours with pride thanks to huge hand-out from Blackpool FC and Community Trust

The football club, along with the Blackpool FC Community Trust and the Blackpool Supporters Trust, will give free Blackpool shirts to every Year 2 child in every primary school in the resort from December 6.

Ben Mansford, chief executive officer of Blackpool FC, said: “We are delighted to be reconnecting with the younger generation through this initiative and hope to welcome even more young fans back to Bloomfield Road. We are working hard to re-establish the connection with our fans and look forward to engaging with supporters in new and exciting ways.”

READ: Blackpool players challenged to take the next step after West Bromwich Albion drawAshley Hackett, of the Blackpool Community Trust, said: “This is a fantastic initiative that we are very proud to assist with. For the fans and club to come together to make sure every child in Year 2 receives a shirt is a great gesture and we are really excited to use our contacts with every school across Blackpool to organise and deliver all the shirts to all the smiling faces.

"Collectively, we have a responsibility to build the next generation of fans and see more and more children in the town proudly wearing the shirt and supporting their hometown. This is the first of many plans we have to engage with the community, fans and local residents and is another key example that shows how far the club, community trust and supporters group have travelled."

Supporters’ Trust chairman Andy Higgins said: "BST are proud to be helping to finance this initiative and to be working closely with Blackpool Football Club and the Community Trust. Hopefully it will encourage more Young Seasiders to attend Bloomfield Road and be introduced to a lifetime following Blackpool FC. We also hope this is something we can replicate in future years to ensure we never again experience what has sometimes been referred to as a lost generation of fans."

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