Marine FC formally announces sponsorship by Cartilage Free Captain for Sunday’s match

As you all know, Cartilage Free Captain embarked on a mission a few weeks ago to sponsor Marine AFC in the upcoming FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur.

When the draw happened and I had the idea to try this, I figured we’d be modest and aim for the matchday sponsorship. That seemed like a fair amount to shoot for and we’d see screenshots on Twitter. None of us on the masthead expected to raise over $12,000 for the eighth-tier club in Liverpool.

Today, we can happily say that the sponsorship is official. I’ve spent the better part of a month working with Marine AFC CEO James Leary on getting the odds and ends to meet. He’s been nothing but professional throughout the entire process and we’re thrilled to be providing such a large amount of money to the club.

£7,500 of the money was spent on the official sponsorship for the shorts. The remainder, which is around £1,425, will go towards a construction project at their ground. To commemorate this, Marine AFC will have a plaque put in thanking all of us who were involved in the fundraiser in the coming months. We’re absolutely humbled by this gesture and we look forward to our community getting to see it in person.

On Sunday, our beloved Spurs will face off against Marine AFC and for those two hours, we will be opponents. For the rest of the time, it seems that our clubs have come together for a great partnership as we are not the only ones who raised money for the Merseyside club. Their gesture of free admission next season to Spurs season ticket holders shows that this is a long-term partnership. Ryan Rosenblatt, once a writer here, will tell you that he had a blast when visiting Marine and encourages you all to go there if possible.

We cannot thank Marine AFC enough for their professionalism and great communication to help make this happen. We also thank all of you for donating to the cause.

You’ve all waited to see them. Here are the shorts that Marine AFC will be wearing this Sunday with our logo on the back.

Glorious.

Update (8:00 a.m. ET): Marine FC have mentioned Cartilage Free Captain and the sponsorship in an official press release on their website. This is for you, Carty Free fam! You made this happen!

Marine FC are delighted to announce SB Nation – Cartilage Free Captain – as the back of shorts sponsor for the Emirates FA Cup match v Spurs.

Cartilage Free Captain is an American Spurs blog, part of the SBNation network. Named after former player and current Spurs assistant coach Ledley King, “Carty Free” is the largest Tottenham fan site in North America. The site covers Tottenham opinion, news, and analysis, and is written by Spurs supporters for Spurs supporters.

This is one of the real incredible stories of support that has been given to Marine by Spurs supporters. Carty Free network of fans have been donating to Marine since the draw was made and have raised an astonishing $12,195.62. This has been shared between Marine Football Club and Marine In The Community. The donation towards MITC will support delivery of free football coaching to primary school children and free food to the elderly & vulnerable during this pandemic.

Sean Cahill, deputy site manager of Carty Free, said “Readers are also fans of grassroots football, the lower leagues, and domestic cup competitions. The sponsorship of this match comes from funds raised by Carty Free readers, because we think non-league football is important, and because we believe local clubs deserve our respect and support, especially in these hard times. We were absolutely floored with the response to the campaign. It’s a great cause all around and we love that Marine is also offering entry next season to Spurs season ticket holders.”

Marine thank the generosity of the supporters of the Carty Free network which will never be forgotten. A permanent memento will be placed at the Marine Travel Arena to show our appreciation.