BASINGSTOKE Town’s under-19s have received a brand new free kit courtesy of local McDonald’s franchisee Tony Bennett and the McDonald’s FA Kit Scheme.

The McDonald’s kit scheme, now in its third year, has provided over 175,000 kits to clubs across the UK with 70,000 new football kits being delivered this year.

This year has seen a huge number of applications from clubs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who were eligible to order a brand new kit choosing from a number of styles and colours.

To mark the occasion Basingstoke Town held an event at their grounds, inviting local McDonald’s Operations Manager Wesley Roshier to come along to celebrate the team receiving their new strip of kits for this year’s season.

Operations Manager Wesley Roshier, who manages 11 restaurants in the area including three in Basingstoke and is a keen supporter of grassroots football, said: “Basingstoke Town FC is an excellent example of a grassroots club which has a real community spirit. The kit that we have supplied them with is fantastic and the kit scheme is something that McDonald’s is incredibly proud to be able to roll out to clubs all over the country. I would like to thank the young players for inviting me along to watch their game, and telling me about their passion for football!’’ Jason Bristow, a representative from Basingstoke Town said: “We’re hugely grateful to McDonald’s for donating a new kit for our under-19s team. An average team strip costs around £500 per season, so this really is a huge saving for us and means we can spend the money on other areas of the club that need it. The kids absolutely love wearing their new strip. Having the kit has created fantastic unity and team spirit and has given the kids extra motivation to train and have a great season.”

McDonald’s Director of Football, Sir Geoff Hurst, said: “I have seen the benefits of the McDonald’s Kit Scheme first hand and it is a great help to clubs across the UK such as Basingstoke Town FC. We have been inundated with requests for kit and it’s fantastic to see the players wearing a new strip as their friends and family cheer them on.”

“Grassroots football clubs are so important to the local community and offers so many opportunities to youngsters throughout the UK. By giving away a free kit, McDonald’s is opening vital funds for these teams to help raise their standards of football and build upon their successes.

The McDonald’s Accredited Club Kit Scheme is part of the company’s ongoing 14-year Community Partnership with the four Home Nation Football Associations. The programme focuses on supporting accredited grassroots clubs to help raise the standards of grassroots football across the UK through better safety, better advice, better coaching for better coaches, better kit, better support and better recognition for volunteers.

For more information on the McDonald’s Accredited Club Kit Scheme visit mcdonalds.co.uk/kitscheme