Football flower power as FC United hands out free seeds to supporters this Saturday

In what is thought to be a first for a football club anywhere, FC United is to hand out 1,000 packets of native wild flower seeds, given to the club by wild flower campaigners Grow Wild UK, free to home and away supporters at their home match against Boston United at Broadhurst Park on Saturday 2 April 2016.

Grow Wild UK has provided FC United with funding to transform the area behind the North Stand at Broadhurst Park as one of their community projects. A key part of the project was to introduce more people to native wild flower species, which have been in decline. FC United is keen to show how wild flowers can benefit wildlife and help transform local environments, so getting football fans championing native Wild flower species should raise more than a few eyebrows.

Any supporter, home or away, can come and pick up a pack of seeds from a stall inside the ground this Saturday. The club is especially keen to encourage parents and children to get involved.



Commenting on the initiative, FC United board member Richard Searle said: “We want people to take the packets of seed away with them and sow them in their gardens, allotments or planters, tubs or window boxes, with their family, friends and neighbours, and to share that experience.

“FC United is extremely chuffed to be associated with Grow Wild UK. Their funding and assistance has helped us transform a key area of Broadhurst Park, celebrating our native wild flowers and trees, all for the benefit of our fans and local residents. It’s given us a big boost towards the creation of a ’pollinator friendly’ football stadium’, the first in the UK we believe.???

Tim Owen, lead partnership manager at Grow Wild, said: “In 2015 Grow Wild funded a community project at FC United of Manchester, supporting the club’s journey to becoming the UK’s first pollinator friendly football stadium. We are thrilled to be working with them again this year to give away 1,000 free packets of wild flower seeds to fans at Saturday’s match and get more people involved in sowing, growing and enjoying UK native wild flowers.???

Below, there’s a message from FC United groundsman Graham Byrne about the big seed hand out this Saturday.