On Saturday 7^th October Hitchin Town will host Stratford Town on what is designated as  Non-League Day 2017. This a national initiative to encourage people to visit their local non-league football clubs.

Hitchin are keen to fully embrace Non-League Day and to this end have decided to make it a ‘pay what you want’ game to encourage as many supporters as possible to attend on the day.

Club secretary Roy Izzard said:

“The ‘pay what you want’ model was extremely successful for us on Non-League Day last year when our attendance was three times higher than our average. We are delighted to make the Stratford game ‘pay what you want’ and aim to target 1,000 supporters through the turnstiles.

“The passion which the local residents of Hitchin showed when they helped to save our wonderful Top Field home was magical to see, so we would be delighted to see as many of them as possible at  the home of Hitchin football on this special day.”

The fixture also sees Hitchin Town FC support Stevenage Haven, the local charity which in 2014 took on the day to day running of the homeless shelter in Nightingale Road, Hitchin.

The Haven provides support and shelter for up to 17 single homeless men from Hitchin and the surrounding areas in North Hertfordshire. A percentage of the match day takings will be donated to the charity and will go to the running costs of the Hitchin shelter.

Representatives from Stevenage Haven will join the fans at Top Field on the day for what promises to be a wonderful occasion.

Representing the heart of the town’s sporting community; Hitchin Town Football Club want to lead from the front in encouraging equality and inclusion in our club and to this end we recently appointed Beatrice Thirkettle as our Diversity Officer.

To this end the club is using the Non-League Day fixture to promote Kick It Out, an organisation that works with football authorities, clubs, players and supporters to tackle all forms of discrimination.

As well as ‘pay what you want’ for adults, under 16’s will receive free entry as they do for all our home games.

Also special Hitchin Town sports bottles will be given to the first 200 youngsters to enter the historic ground on the day. There will also be free face painting and other activities to get involved with on the day.

So please do not let youngsters think football is just a TV programme and bring them along to the real thing on Saturday 7^th October at 3pm, as the Canaries welcome Stratford Town FC to their iconic Top Field home.

About Stevenage Haven

Stevenage Haven is a Stevenage based organisation that runs a 40 bed shelter in Stevenage old town, providing shelter and support for single homeless people from the area plus several second stage move on properties.

In 2014, Stevenage Haven took on the day to day running of the shelter in Hitchin, providing support  and shelter for up to 17 single homeless men from Hitchin and the surrounding area in North Hertfordshire. 

Support is provided by highly skilled staff and volunteers to residents in both projects. This support includes basic life skills training, mentoring and counselling, mental health and addiction support, and we also support with moving on and settling into independent living.

Since the Stevenage Haven took over the day to day running in 2014, over 110 residents have been moved on successfully from the shelter in Hitchin. 

Stevenage Haven is delighted to announce the launch of a new support service which will be operating in North Herts. This outreach support service will allow us to specifically work with homeless individuals living on the streets in North Herts, and support them to find temporary accommodation and begin their journey to independent living.

Stevenage Haven receives financial support from various sources including Hertfordshire County Council and the Local Authority , however it is also very reliant on the generosity of the general public. It is delighted to be supported by Hitchin Football Club and will use the income received to completely support activities for the residents in the Hitchin shelter.