Everyone at Rotherham United would like to say an enormous thank you to each and every supporter that contributed to the ‘United Rotherham’ project, which helped over 8,000 key workers and Millers fans – who may not otherwise have been able to attend – to join us at matches throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
The project was launched following the curtailment of the 2019/20 season which came about as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with the club giving supporters who had purchased season or match tickets the option to leave their funds within the football club as it headed into an unprecedented era.
Considering that all of our supporters would face similar financial challenges to those that the football club would front as we looked to safely navigate our way through the pandemic, we were absolutely overwhelmed by the selfless response from our fan base to waive the monies owed to them.
The purpose of the ‘United Rotherham’ effort would be to distribute tickets – to the value of the funds left within the club – to key workers and those experiencing poverty when supporters were once again permitted to attend matches at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
After a campaign played behind-closed-doors in 2020/21, we were absolutely thrilled to welcome the entirety of the Rotherham United faithful back to AESSEAL New York Stadium, but nobody more so than the 8,250 people who were able to join us as a result of your kindness.
Alongside those key workers who played such a pivotal role during the pandemic and the Millers fans hit hardest financially by that period, we were also able to support service users from 42 local community groups, including Rotherham Foodbank, Sense, Samaritans, Rotherham Hospice, Shiloh and The Mayor’s Charity to name just a few.
The project proved an overwhelming success across all fronts, with the Millers publicly announcing the number of tickets allocated as part of the ‘United Rotherham’ effort at every home matchday throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
This article is our opportunity to thank you all for your incredible act of kindness, not only towards your fellow Millers supporters, but in ensuring the continued financial stability throughout the pandemic by allowing us to retain what the club would have considered as ‘guaranteed income’ in Season Ticket sales at the start of the season before it was curtailed.
Thanks to you, individuals that may not have been able to watch their beloved Millers in action were able to come along to games and, beyond that, witness a record-breaking season for Paul Warne and his players, who secured at immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship in 2021/22.