NEVER ANCIENT BUT FOREVER A MARINER
A LIFETIME SPENT FOLLOWING GRIMSBY PUTS 93YEARS-YOUNG DAPHNE IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Nobody is more dedicated to Grimsby and her passion has never wavered. Pam, Daphne’s daughter
GRIMSBY Town season ticket holder Daphne Baker has been following her beloved Mariners since first travelling to games at Blundell Park 88 years ago, sitting on the crossbar of her dad’s pushbike.
In that pre-war era, Daphne’s father would pay one and sixpence (7 1⁄2p) for entry and a helpful steward would sneak Daphne in for free.
They’d then stand in their favourite corner of the ground cheering the Lincolnshire club to the most successful period in its history.
As Daphne grew, come rain or shine she’d cycle the five miles from Nunsthorpe and pay a shilling to leave her bike safely in the garden of a local homeowner.
Now those decades of devotion are being acknowledged as Daphne is named Coral’s Football Fan of the Month.
£10,000 JACKPOT
Picked out by former England ace Alan Shearer, Daphne will receive a £1,000 prize to donate to her local club. She’ll also be in the running to be crowned Coral’s ultimate Football Fan of the Year and receive a £10,000 jackpot at the end of the season.
Daphne was nominated by her daughter Pam. “Nobody is more dedicated to Grimsby and her passion has never wavered,” Pam says. “My brother Paul and I are Grimsby born and bred. When we go back home to visit we always go to the matches with Mum, and when her grandchildren go to see her she always makes a point of taking them too.
“She’s still a season ticket holder, and even through lockdown she paid her £10 each week to watch the Mighty Mariners play on TV. We all have scarves, socks and sweatshirts that Daphne bought for us over the years. But she also has a quilted coat, door mat, pyjamas, umbrella and dressing gown, all with the club logo on them!”
Over the past six months Coral has awarded prizes to some deserving fans whose commitment to the team and sport they love has gone above and beyond. You can read all their stories at footballfanoftheyear.co.uk/winners-page/. The winner of the ultimate Football Fan of the Year title will be announced