Shay’s the king of clubs!
11-YEAR-OLD MAKES 1,200-MILE TRIP TO RAISE FUNDS
YOUNGSTER Shay Connell visited every Premier League ground in England and Wales on an epic 1,200-mile, four-day tour to raise funds for his local club.
Shay, 11, is goalkeeper for Heddon Juniors which is affiliated to the Northumberland FA.
He was recently made captain and it is a position he takes very seriously.
Shay said: “As captain I wanted to do something for the club to make my mark.
“I decided to do some fund raising but wanted to do something different and special.”
He drew inspiration from Youtube star and ‘vlogger’ Simon Wilson who likes to take on epic travel challenges, and came up with ‘Shay’s Plan.’
“I thought it would be really cool to travel to every Premier League ground,” he explained.
His aim is to raise £1,100 to buy a new pair of goalposts to replace the ones they are currently using which are bent and rickety.
So last Monday saw Shay, mum Steph Dolan and dad Bobby Connell leave their home in Gateshead at 5.20am in their VW Golf to set off on the first leg of their intrepid challenge.
They began at Selman Park, home of Heddon Juniors at Heddon-on-the-Wall.
From there it was on to St James’ Park, home of Newcastle United, then to the grounds of Burnley, Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton, then Wolves and Cardiff City before calling it a day. As the Travelodge they were staying at in Cardiff was next to the Principality Stadium, the national stadium of Wales, they had a quick detour there before starting off on the day two schedule.
It took them to the south coast and the homes of Bournemouth, Southampton and Brighton.
On the third day they travelled to London to visit the grounds of Fulham, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs, also taking in Wembley stadium. They also took in the grounds of Watford and Leicester City before calling it a night.
On the fourth day they drove home, completing their tour with a second visit to St James’ Park.
The family had been hoping to go pitch side and after an earlier contacting the club. However when they got there a member of staff proved not as helpful as they’d hoped. “He was a bit abrupt,” said Steph, “but we understand they can’t always accommodate people.”
The club has subsequently been in touch with the family offering them a free tour of the club.
“We weren’t expected anything,” said Steph. “It was a bit annoying at the time but we don’t want it to overshadow what Shay has done which is brilliant.”
The family were particularly struck by the welcome they got from other clubs.
“Arsenal and Chelsea were great, we spent so long at Arsenal we missed the chance to get on the pitch at West Ham United. We spent an hour and a half at Liverpool, and Everton were fantastic.”
She said Burnley were very friendly with them while a Wolves member of staff who saw them taking pictures outside the ground, invited them into the club’s trophy room to take pictures when they found out about the fundraising.
Thanks to Shay’s efforts - with the help of his proud mum and dad - he has raised more than £800 towards his target.
Chairman of Heddon Juniors, Liam Duffy, said: “It’s an absolutely fantastic achievement. Shay’s a credit to himself and the club with what he’s achieved.”
Meanwhile, Shay’s tour of Premier League grounds has whetted his appetite for future fundraising trips. “I want to go to Spain to visit the La Liga grounds,” he said. However mum Steph might take a bit of convincing.
Visit www.gofundme.com/ shaysplan