A few weeks ago a special tribute was paid to the young influx of supporters who have re-energised our Supporters’ Association – turning a near-crisis into a public relation’s festival of campaigns.
The feedback and the appreciation from some quite unlikely sources is proof there is still a vital role for the supporters trust movement, irrespective of whether a football club is experiencing hard times or the thrilling current circumstances in which the Terriers find themselves.
Monday’s promotion to the Premier League was followed by a flood of accolades.
Each and every tribute was fully deserved; it has indeed involved a cast of thousands.
Play-Off finals are the reason why some supporters decide to travel half way round the world.
OK, so it might double as an opportunity to visit family and friends, but it surely takes a special kind of courage if consideration is also given to the length of the return journey in the possible event of defeat.
Following Dean Hoyle ’s example, Huddersfield Town Supporters Association (HTSA) pulled out all the stops to do as much as we could to make Wembley an affordable experience for as many youngsters as possible.
HTSA are eager to make travel to games as accessible as possible for all supporters and has become increasingly aware that despite the good intentions of disability discrimination legislation, the challenges faced by many regular followers can be daunting in the extreme.
After Monday’s coach trip Karen Rhodes and her parents, John and Sandra Waterhouse, asked me to pass their thanks on to everyone at HTSA.
The effects of Parkinson’s disease cause John huge and increasingly debilitating mobility issues. Regardless of these difficulties John rarely, if ever, misses a Town game, home or away.
He and his family regularly travel on the HTSA coach - all the more impressive considering that this involves an 80-mile round trip, for both Karen and her parents, from their respective homes in Blackburn and York before boarding the coach in Huddersfield .
Karen’s thanks, and the reason why the first coach in the HTSA fleet to Wembley was devoted to supporters with mobility issues, are due entirely to the efforts of one person.
Robert Pepper was following Town decades ago and for many seasons he has taken personal responsibility for making sure that, regardless of our destination, our hosts understand the needs of their guests.
Years of experience now mean that Robert is aware of the good, the bad and the unhelpful when it comes to access and facilities both within, and without, football stadia.
As the ‘futures’ of football were being ferried free of charge by HTSA, the magnificent Wembley arena ensured that they received nothing but first-class hospitality.
Remember, HTSA are the voice of the fans. If you’d like to know more or get involved, visit our HTSA website , email travel@htsa-web.com, or call our Travel Line on 07905 580784.
