Saturday's meeting between Walsall and Gillingham will see over a thousand extra fans in attendance as the Walsall FC Foundation welcomes school children from across the borough for its second School Partners game of the season.There will be more than 1,650 schoolchildren in attendance on Saturday afternoon thanks to the ever-popular offer, with several local primary schools set to take part.
Speaking via the club's official website, First-Team Head Coach Michael Flynn sought to encourage more fans to make their way to Poundland Bescot Stadium, he said; "I want to try and attract a new generation of fans to the football club because the more fans we have, the better it is all round.
"It gives more voice at the home games, more income for the club, more money to spend on players, infrastructure et cetera.
"We need the fans, lower league clubs are nothing without the fans and luckily we’ve got a good group here."
The 'School Partners' initiative aims to give rise to the next generation of Saddlers supporters, with all those due to be in attendance having received tickets through their Walsall FC Partner School at reduced prices.
Since School Partners games began in 2008, thousands of tickets have been sold, with over even more thousands of pounds of much-needed funds donated back to local schools.
Schools can get various benefits by partnering with Walsall FC and the Foundation. Schools can receive PE lessons run by the Walsall FC Foundation's qualified coaches, as well as cashback on after-school clubs held by their staff.
Along with Walsall FC player appearances, participating schools will receive a signed football from the club, with other benefits including ground tours, ticket offers on selected Walsall fixtures, and much more.
For more information on how to become a Walsall FC School Partner see here, or to book an appointment, email [email protected].