Doncaster Rovers invite primary school children to announce a new signing

Rovers have reintroduced Attendance4Attendance - an initiative which sees matchday tickets rewarded to Doncaster primary school pupils who achieve more than 97 per cent attendance across a half term. Each pupil who earns a free ticket will also receive a discounted adult ticket to ensure the reward is affordable for families. Less than a week after the relaunch of the scheme, more than 50 schools had shown their interest, with the club looking to reach every primary school in the city. Excited Carr Lodge Academy pupils took part in the relaunch of the scheme and were also given a unique opportunity to interview full back Tom Nixon as part of the package announcing his signing. Tom was put through his paces with probing questions from the young fans before posing for photographs, signing merchandise and having a kickabout in the school’s playground. Doncaster Rovers chief commercial officer Shaun Lockwood said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to the pupils of Carr Lodge Academy for helping us to announce Tom Nixon as the club’s latest signing. “As part of our fan engagement strategy In Rovers We Trust, we are constantly looking for new ways to engage the local community and build a strong fanbase of the future. Asking the children to announce our new signing felt like a perfect time to also relaunch Attendance4Attendance. “We understand how important it is for children to be in school so it’s even more important for schemes like ours to help add that extra little incentive to achieve high attendance rates. “We also understand the importance of making football accessible to all which is why we are pleased to also offer a discounted ticket rate to accompanying adults with each free children’s ticket. “The Attendance4Attendance scheme was so popular last time and saw us welcome hundreds of local pupils to the Eco-Power Stadium. We look forward to relaunching the programme again this summer school term, and are excited to welcome a new generation of Rovers fans to the family.” The attendance incentive will run alongside the club’s RoversRewards programme, which allows schools to administer free tickets to pupils for other reasons. Shaun added “We know that some pupils will find it difficult to achieve a 97 per cent attendance for reasons beyond their control, perhaps for medical reasons for example. Therefore, the RoversRewards programme allows schools at their discretion to recognise those pupils who they feel deserve a ticket to a game but may not have reached the attendance criteria.” Carr Lodge Academy teacher and PE coordinator Aaron Gill said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our school and we were delighted when the club reached out to us for this collaboration. “Tom and the entire media team were phenomenal with our pupils, who are aged from four to 11 years. “At Carr Lodge Academy, we are right behind the Attendance4Attendance scheme and feel this is a fantastic opportunity to reward families for their efforts towards maintaining school attendance and providing equal opportunities for everyone to be able to access local football. “It's great to see an initiative like this also provide a platform to raise the profile of such an historic club, particularly now that we have secured city status. We have every confidence that this will see a real drive in improving attendance rates across Doncaster, both in schools and at Doncaster Rovers matches. “Many thanks to Shaun and his staff for their continued efforts - we're with you every step of the way.” The first Attendance4Attendance rewards will cover the summer half term, allowing pupils to attend an early season Rovers match. Schools wishing to take part in the scheme can express interest by clicking HERE. For more information about the Attendance4Attendance programme, please contact Doncaster Rovers on 01302 764665.