Marine announce KitAid record

In the week leading up to the KitAid Collection Weekend, Marine have announced that they have now topped the 5,000 mark in terms of donations to the league's charity partner - a UK record.

The campaign by Marine, led by their Community Officer Barry Lenton has exceeded all expectations. Supported by BBC Radio Merseyside over 2,000 kit items were collected by February and this figure has been dwarfed by so many people donating unwanted kit throughout Merseyside and beyond to reach the 5,000 milestone last week.

Derrick Williams MBE, Founder of KitAid, said, "We are absolutely amazed and delighted that Barry Lenton and Marine have managed to top the 5,000 figure for items collected through this campaign. This is enough to kit out nearly 400 teams across Africa, and every shirt will bring a massive smile to someone who loves football but can only dream of owning their own kit. Well done to Barry who has been a real inspiration to all of us."

Marine Chairman Paul Leary said, "This really is an amazing achievement by our football club and demonstrates what we can do when we put our minds to it. It has been a great community exercise that has caught the imagination and support of so many people across Merseyside. This has been a great cause to be involved in and we are so pleased that we shall give so much enjoyment to thousands of adults and children around the world who will have a football kit for the first time in their lives."

Marine Community officer Barry Lenton added, "Getting BBC Radio Merseyside on board was a tremendous boost to our appeal. I collected 2,368 items of kit from their studios in the three months that Marine has been helping Kit Aid.

"Altogether, 2,336 shirts have been handed in (representing over 100 different clubs), 1,276 shorts, 545 pairs of socks, 318 pairs of boots and 527 other items, including a bag of referee’s kit with flags, whistle and yellow and red cards. A brown and white striped shirt, a green pair of earrings, two blue pleated skirts and a few T shirts with Benidorm printed on didn’t count towards the total!

"Kit Aid has not only helped to further enhance the reputation of Marine as a community club but it has also united Merseyside with a common cause. We hope to help with the charity for many years to come. This time next year we could well have pushed our total to 10,000"

The Easter period sees the league hold a KitAid Collection Weekend, where fans of all clubs can bring their unwanted kit to an Evo-Stik NPL game and hand it in - KitAid will do the rest!

Photo: De La Salle in Croxteth presenting 108 kits collected to Barry Lenton

The club have also announced an end of season tournament to raise funds for their floolight campaign.

The official supporters football team AFC Marine will be joined by Southport FC Supporters, Marine Legends and a Marine XI supporter’s team at the Arriva Stadium on Monday 7th May 2012. The Marine Legends team captained by John Roche is to be made up of players from the 90’s including the famous Marine league winning teams from 1993/4 and 1994/5.

Two forty five minute play-off games for 1st and third place will follow six thirty minute league games that will take place throughout the day with the first game starting about 11am. Each player playing in the tournament is to donate £20 to the floodlight appeal and it is hoped that the day will raise in excess of £1,000. Spectators will be asked to make a donation into the appeal fund on entrance into the ground.