Egg giveaway boosts football crowd numbers

Being a bit of a rugger connoisseur, Gunter the Feathered Forager  has been keeping a beady eye on the antics of the numerous cockerels supporting the French team during the Rugby World Cup.

But he has also maintained his watching brief on the round-ball game, and was somewhat alarmed by news coming through from Rhode Island Red, who is mascot to the Eastern Counties League Premier Division outfit Walsham Le Willows FC, about an egg giveaway.

It seems the club decided at the weekend to shell out half a dozen eggs to the first 50 paying supporters through the gates for its clash against Brantham Athletic in a bid to boost attendance levels.

While chairman Keith Mills was delighted that the “gimmick” boosted crowd numbers from a paltry 42 at the last home fixture to 78 at the weekend, Rhode Island Red was distinctly nonplussed by the “buy none, get one free” tactic.

Last year, neighbouring Bungay Town gave out punnets of mushrooms in a similar ploy to tempt fans during the international break. Gunter wonders how long it will be before a full English breakfast will be served up free of charge to tempt the punters.