Legends to open new 3G pitch at Marine AFC

Marine AFC, our opponents in the third round of the FA Cup last season, will host a charity match between the Spurs Legends team and the Yorkshire Spurs Supporters’ Club during the summer to officially open their new 3G pitch.

The event will take place on Sunday 31 July, kick-off 2pm, and will allow fans of both clubs to finally attend the Marine Travel Arena, some 18 months after they’d initially hoped to do so.

Our cup tie against the non-league side in January, 2021, had to be played behind closed doors due to the pandemic, but more than 32,000 ‘virtual tickets’ were sold, helping the Northern Premier League outfit to raise funds for a new playing surface, which is due to be installed over the coming weeks.

Now, members of Yorkshire Spurs have invited the Spurs Legends team, led by former striker Mark Falco, to take part in a friendly match to officially open the new pitch at the Crosby-based outfit. Funds raised from the game will go towards the JE3 Foundation – set up in memory of former Spurs defender Justin Edinburgh – and the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund. The Legends side will be managed on the day by their former captain John Lacy, the only player to have represented both Spurs and Marine during his career.

Paul Pavlou, chairman of the Yorkshire Spurs Supporters’ Club, said: “It’s an absolute honour to be involved in the opening of the new pitch at Marine AFC and it shows the strong links between both clubs. This charity match will give both sets of fans a chance to see some ex-Spurs players roll back the years, while also providing a chance for Spurs fans to find their names on the Virtual Wall, which was installed at Marine’s ground in the wake of the 2021 FA Cup tie. It’s a great way to raise money for the JE3 Foundation and the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund as well. I truly love the FA Cup and stories like this are the reason why! We at Yorkshire Spurs would like to congratulate everyone at Marine on their recent promotion, and we look forward to seeing everyone on 31 July.”

Tickets are £5 for adults and £2 for children and can be purchased here.

There will also be mascot places and dugout spaces up for grabs, in addition to a half-time penalty shootout. For more information, please email pav@yorkshirespurs.co.uk

It's one of several matches pencilled in for the Legends team this summer, with the likes of Falco, David Howells, Stephen Clemence, Pascal Chimbonda, Stuart Nethercott and Neil Sullivan* set to take part. Information on further fixtures will be communicated in due course.

*All appearances are subject to availability and participating legends are subject to change.