AGEING fans may be finding it harder to travel to Oakwell to see the Reds’ latest match, but a series of community events are ensuring that even the most out-of-touch fans can still have a connection with the club.
Whether due to issues with costs, mobility problems making travel impossible, or simply losing contact with fellow supporters, some life-long fans are finding themselves more isolated from their beloved club than ever.
That’s what makes the club’s OAP luncheons so special to so many - they allow people to reconnect to the beautiful game, while enjoying a hot meal and making new friends.
Running monthly for the past year, the events were originally conceived of by co-owner Jean Cryne, as she realised in her old age - and especially after the death of her husband Patrick seven years back - how hard socialising had become.
The 71-year-old told the Chronicle: “I’m of the same age as the people who come.
“I just thought that there are lots of lonely people who’ve lost contact with their friends - maybe with who they used to come and watch football with.
“When you get to that age, you’re in your 60s and suddenly you get to your 70s, you do realise that people are losing touch.
“Here we’ve got no music playing and normally we don’t have a singer, so it’s actually lovely to see that there’s no phones out and people just chat.
“That’s what it is, just chatting.”
Hosted by former player and record appearance holder Barry Murphy, the luncheons attract hundreds of visitors every month, with more than 200 turning out for the Christmas special last Thursday.
“They absolutely love it,” Jean added.
“People can’t wait for Barry to tell them when the next date is.
“When it first started people came in and sat wherever they liked, but now what they’re doing is actually booking tables of six or more with people they’ve met.
“They keep coming back so it must have worked.
“There’s no reason why we should stop doing it - it’s a constant now.”
Les Lea - who describes himself as ‘once a Red, always a Red’ - has been attending the sessions since they started.
“Community wise, what the club is doing is great,” he said.
“They’re doing great things, they really are.
“A lot of the fans who come every Saturday don’t see this, they’re just here for the match - when you come down in the week there’s all sorts going off and the general public don’t see that.”
Beyond the luncheons, the club have begun ‘Fit Families’ postnatal groups for new mothers and families, ‘Reds Connect’ walking football and exercise and ‘Reminiscent Reds’ groups for people struggling with social isolation.
Sean Margison, head of health and wellbeing, added: “For so many it’s their only opportunity to get out.
“They look forward it - people will plan around us to keep coming.
“They’ll tell people ‘I can’t book an appointment on Wednesday afternoon, I’m going to Reminiscent Reds’, so it’s had a massive impact.
“The friendships they’ve forged within the group extend into their life - one of our lads hasn’t been to a Barnsley match for a long time, but because of the friendships he formed at Reminiscent Reds he’s come back.
“We have a couple of volunteers there who helped take him because he’s got mobilisation issues.
“So those are the kind of ripple effects from these events.”
