Club Statement – Amnesty International bucket collection

As many will be aware, Barnet Football Club agreed to hold a bucket collection for the Football Welcomes programme on behalf of Amnesty International.

Supporters of Barnet FC will know that as a Club, we support charities but do not take political positions on any matters and our endeavours are always with the very best intentions. As a football club, we always maintain an impartial view when it comes to helping others. In this case, a football related initiative in its eighth year of operation.

However and given the large number of comments made towards this collection, we feel that we will be inadvertently creating an unsafe environment at our game against Maidenhead United which is very much against our matchday policies.

We have therefore decided not to proceed in order to avoid any political stance that could cause offence to any supporters or discomfort to those in attendance at The Hive Stadium. We will clarify our position to the organisers of the collection.

We want to be a helpful resource to our community and our supporters from all backgrounds and faiths and always respect everyone’s right to their own opinions. However our focus is ultimately to win football matches and be a safe and welcoming club to all.