Peterborough United Wembley fund raises more than £5,000

A fund set up to give all a football club's fans the chance to watch their side in a Wembley final has generated more than £5,000.

Peterborough United will play Wycombe Wanderers in the English Football League (EFL) Trophy Final on Sunday.

The "Posh & Free Kicks Foundation Ticket Fund" was set up to buy tickets for fans who may struggle to attend.

The tournament, currently known as the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, features EFL League One and League Two sides.

Steve Thorpe, founder and trustee of Free Kicks Foundation, said he was "amazed but not completely surprised" by the response.

The club said the fund would help fans who would "benefit from free tickets" because they "may not otherwise be able" to watch Posh take on their League One rivals.

"The club are delighted to let supporters know that our Bristol Street Motors Trophy Final Ticket Fund has exceeded £5,000 in donations," it said.

"We would like to thank all our supporters who have donated to this fund to allow us to offer tickets to so many deserving families who might not have been able to attend our showpiece final on Sunday 7th April at Wembley Stadium."

The club had said, on 20 March, that more than £2,000 was raised within 24 hours of the launch of an online fundraising page for the project.

Mr Thorpe added: "We have been amazed but not completely surprised by the support of the Posh fans with this project. To raise over £5,000 in such a short time was beyond our wildest dreams.

"We would like to thank all who have contributed or donated tickets and the team at Posh for their help over the last week."

United's chief executive, Dawn Gore, said she had been delighted to partner the foundation and described the initiative as "wonderful".

She added: "We would like to thank all of our supporters for the generosity they have shown and look forward to welcoming all the families to what will be a very special occasion at Wembley."

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