Saturday’s game against Colchester United saw something special happen at Doncaster Rovers as the first ever Junior Takeover Day took place.
Saturday’s game against Colchester United saw the first ever Junior Takeover day at Doncaster Rovers, as we welcomed children from all over Doncaster to take part in real match day roles and take a look at what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ at Doncaster Rovers on a match day.
Roles that the children took on included Chief Executive, Head of Security, Tannoy Announcer, match referee, first team manager and many, many more!
The aim of the takeover was to engage more with the local schools that are already working actively with Club Doncaster Foundation. Not only was this beneficial to the children as they had to submit applications to apply for each role at the club, it also gave them an idea of what they might like to do in the future, as well as experience a once in a life time opportunity at their local football club.
Every child that took part in the day was also presented with a certificate by Doncaster born defender and club captain Andy Butler after the game.
The day was a huge success and one that many will remember for a long time, including the staff!
Marketing and Communications Manager, Ryan Murrant said, “It was an absolutely brilliant day. Everybody went home smiling and to hear children saying that they had the best day ever is amazing. The reaction from the parents, staff and the fans has been overwhelming. We want to get Doncaster Rovers in their blood from a young age and hopefully that’s what we’ve done!
“I would like to thank all the players, in particular Andy Butler for taking the time out with the children and making them feel special. I would also like to say a special thank you to the Football League and referee Peter Bankes. They were fantastic throughout in allowing the whole day to take place. It is definitely something we will do again in the future.”
First team manager Paul Dickov also gave his full backing to the day’s events. “It’s been a fantastic day and a great idea by the club,” Dickov said.
Youngster Harris Khan was lucky enough to be given the role of first team manager for the day and Dickov couldn’t praise him enough; “He was brilliant. He picked the starting eleven for me, chose the substitutes and even called the goal scorers. He can have the job full time!”
Check out all the photos from a brilliant day on our Facebook page by clicking HERE.
Next up… Peterborough at home. Get your tickets for just £5!
For more information on the Club Doncaster Community foundation, click here.
You can see highlights from the day in the video below: