Mascot privilege should be free for young fans

OF course Derby County mascots should not have to pay for the socalled privilege of leading out the team during home, or away, matches, it should be part of the privilege of the mascots and their families supporting the club, (“Counting the cost of being a junior football mascot”, January 7).

Every season ticket holder with a young family should have a right to lead their beloved players onto the pitch and perform penalties against Rammie at half-time, that’s how the club stays in touch with the community and how they should stay in touch with their fans, in any division, and prove it by a great turnout, both home and away.

The meals should also be complimentary.

The way it should be done is simply waiting one’s turn in a queue, where each of the 11 players and the substitutes pair up with the starstruck child who will be living their dream being next to their favourite player or players.

If the substitutes are also paired up, the seasonal list would soon go down, so no family would get fed up waiting their turn in the queue and there should also be competitions and prize draws included for a little spot of legal “queue jumping” for families who cannot afford a season ticket, but come to the matches (home or away) when they can afford it, which is only fair after all.

The local magazine and the Derby Telegraph could advertise this competition and/or prize draw. Otherwise we will be getting this complaint of over-priced mascoteering over and over again.

Joe Coleman, Chaddesden