After a long 18 months without you with us, Rotherham United were delighted to welcome our supporters back to AESSEAL New York Stadium on Saturday, as we opened the 2021/22 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle.
Stadiums all over the country have been unable to reach full capacity in the EFL since March 2020 and the support of fans has been sorely missed by everyone here at Rotherham United and across the football world.
The roar when Freddie Ladapo’s 10th minute strike hit the net at the weekend was another key reminder of the power football has to bring people together, by reuniting communities, friends and families back with their club.
Here at Rotherham United we are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that everyone in our town and beyond can come and enjoy their football at our club and we are extremely proud to be a football club right at the heart of our community.
As well as boasting excellent facilities for disabled supporters at AESSEAL New York Stadium, we are extremely proud of our fantastic Disabled Supporters Association. RUDSA are a group of supporters who meet regularly at the stadium to provide us with feedback on how we as club can continue our pledge to make Rotherham United a place for everyone.
As a huge thank you for their tireless work for RUDSA, we invited Kerry Coleman and James Bradshaw for a very special coffee morning with First Team Manager Paul Warne and Skipper Richard Wood, as we celebrated the EFL’s Season Launch day.
The gaffer reminisced on memories of yesteryear, whilst also discussing his hopes for the upcoming season, with Richard Wood only too keen to do the same, basking in the glory of his famous Wembley brace and other fond memories of his time in Millers red and white.
Kerry and James also took in a tour of the tunnel area, as well as being invited pitchside at AESSEAL New York Stadium ahead of the big kick-off.
Rotherham United Captain Richard Wood is someone who ‘gets’ Rotherham United and the connection between the Football Club and the community.
He expressed his thanks to both James and Kerry for their tireless work, as well as paying tribute to the fans, who he is hoping can play another big role in the side’s success over the course of 2021/22 campaign.
“Football is a powerful game and has the unique ability to connect communities and bring people from all different walks of life together and we as players have never lost sight of that."
“Football is a powerful game and has the unique ability to connect communities and bring people from all different walks of life together and we as players have never lost sight of that.
“It was fantastic to see James and Kerry last week, I’ve really enjoyed my previous meetings with the RUDSA and I know just how hard they and everyone involves works to help us continue our commitment to make our club a place for everyone to enjoy. They were thanking us for taking the time to meet up, but really it should be us thanking them for their continued efforts and fantastic support.
“The roar when Freddie scored against Plymouth was incredible and a sound we’ve all missed so much. We’ve missed our 12th man just as much as they’ve missed us and I know they will play a huge part for us again this year as they always do.”