Marine hold raffle to recoup lost Spurs FA Cup clash revenue

Minnows Marine FC will play Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA Cup

A non-league football team is holding a raffle to recoup some of the £100,000 they stand to lose as their FA Cup glamour-tie with Tottenham Hotspur goes behind closed doors.

Marine FC will play Jose Mourinho's Premier League outfit in the third round of the contest on 10 January.

But fans will be barred from the Merseyside stadium due to coronavirus restrictions.

Chief executive officer James Leary said it was necessary but "galling".

The game, at the Marine Travel Arena in Crosby, will be televised on BBC One.

However, Liverpool's new tier three status means there will now be no crowd inside the 3,185-capacity stadium, costing the eighth-tier club not only gate receipts, but also around £70,000 in sponsorship deals.

'Heart-wrenching'

Part-timers Marine have instead launched a virtual £10 match ticket raffle, which could raise around £30,000.

The top prize is the chance to replace manager Neil Young in the dugout for a pre-season friendly.

Leary said: "Thirty thousand pounds to us is absolutely massive.

"It's about a quarter of the wage budget for a year. Even though £30,000 to a Football League club might not be a huge sum, it's a massive figure for us."

He acknowledged the need for the virus restrictions, but added: "The fact that we haven't realised all the revenue we could have done, it's galling.

"And of course it's not just financial, it's the fans.

"We might only get 450-500 people per game, but the fact that they haven't been able to come to all the games is just heart-wrenching."

Marine, who play in the Northern Premier League North/West Division, have beaten Barnoldswick Town, Frickley Athletic, Runcorn Linnets, Nantwich Town, Chester, Colchester and Havant and Waterlooville to reach the third round.

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