Ross Goodwin and his Stocksbridge Park Steels colleagues are embarking on an epic 100k run later this month to raise money for the Bracken Moor club.
Goodwin and the whole Stocksbridge squad are determined to add at least £1000 to the club’s recently launched fundraising campaign for money towards essential ground maintenance work and equipment. Over £5000 has been raised so far.
The players have already made two superb financial gestures and Goodwin is leading the latest effort.
“Stocksbridge is just a Non League club that is run right and that’s why we wanted to do something to support the club,” Goodwin told Non League Yorkshire.
“We are a good set of lads and we had a good season and we all enjoyed it. I think that is due to the gaffer, the chairman, all the volunteers. It is a good club and we don’t want to see it go under so we’re doing our best as players to try and keep it afloat.
“A lot of Non League clubs are a bit disjointed behind the scenes, but Stocksbridge is a proper community club and you know where you are. There’s no scandals or ‘this has happened’ or ‘you’re not getting your wages this week’. At Stocksbridge you get your money on time and they don’t make promises they can’t keep.
“We wanted to give something back and it is not very often that Non League players give something back to their club. They take their money and go or go to another club when the money is gone.
“We have already turned down last set of wages down and all the contract lads gave up their wages. We also gave our kitty money which was over £700 to the club.
“I’ve always wanted to do good at whichever club I have been at. I used to run kids camps at Staveley to raise money for the club.
“But we were talking on the group chat about the best ways to raise money for the club and because we have all been doing 5k runs, we said why don’t we do a sponsored run?
“The response has been amazing so far. Stocksbridge Running Club have even messaged me wanting to get involved. We’re aiming for £1000 if possible and we’re over £225 even though it only went on last night.”
Long-serving Stocksbridge manager Chris Hilton is even on the list of willing runners for the challenge on Saturday 20th June.
“The gaffer is going to finish it by doing the last 2k so we might to get the air ambulance on standby for when he’s running up the hill in Fox Valley,” he said.
“That 2k is literally like running up a wall. We might need a new gaffer afterwards.
“The route from Barnsley to the ground is so hilly, the elevation is massive. So that’s going to be interesting for him and the Barnsley lads.
“For when the gaffer finishes at ground, I’m going to get one of the volunteers Gary Ward to live-stream it so we can all watch it.
“It is like a relay-race and everyone is doing a fair bit as it is 100k in a day. It is a challenge, but I reckon we’ll do it.
“I’ve planned the route out on Strava for each section. We’re quite spread out as lads and I’m the furthest south as there is me and two other lads who live in Chesterfield.
“We’re going to start the run in South Chesterfield and run to Sheffield which is just under 12 miles. We’re going to meet some lads in the Rother Valley area and the Sheffield lads are going to take over the run and go to Rotherham.
“Because the Sheffield lads’ route is a bit longer than ours, they’ll split it between as otherwise it will be too long. In Rotherham we have three lads and then in Doncaster the four lads have the biggest route. That bit is nearly 30k.”
Midfielder Goodwin joined Stocksbridge from Worksop Town last summer and he was a key player as Hilton’s men pulled off continuous heroics to surprisingly compete for a NPL Division One South play-offs spot.
A repeat of the same feat will have to wait a while and Goodwin admits the new season could be a long way off.
“I’m missing it and although we’ve been talking on the group chat, it is not the same as going in the changing room and having a bit of banter,” he said.
“I’m a teacher and we start back at school this week so if we’re starting to integrate and the Premier League and Championship starts soon, maybe by September we might start training and then start the season in October.
“While social-distancing is in place, there’s no chance of playing.”
The Fundraising page can be found on Stocksbridge’s Facebook page.