Staffs Uni and Port Vale Football Club are celebrating the launch of a new Fan Zone where supporters can meet and socialise before a game.
Carol Shanahan meeting fans in the Staffordshire University Fan Zone
I work with Vice-Chancellor Professor Liz Barnes on the Opportunity Area Board, where we work on social mobility and I hope we can convince Vale fans, the young of this area, that Higher Education is possible and is for them.
Things like this, where they get to talk to people from Staffs, will show them that they can do that.
Located next to the club store at Vale Park, the Staffordshire University Fan Zone launched at Port Vale FC's first home fixture of the season against Tranmere Rovers and offers a range of entertainment and refreshments for home and away supporters of all ages.
The University have planned a series of interactive and engaging activities running throughout the season and showcasing different subject areas at the University including forensic science, computer games design, e-sports and health and social care .
Port Vale Chair and Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University, Carol Shanahan, hopes the Fan Zone will encourage more people to take the step into Higher Education.
She added:“I am really pleased to be in partnership with Staffs Uni. I work with Vice-Chancellor Professor Liz Barnes on the Opportunity Area Board, where we work on social mobility and I hope we can convince Vale fans, the young of this area, that Higher Education is possible and is for them.
“Things like this, where they get to talk to people from Staffs, will show them that they can do that. And that being part of Staffs is being part of Vale, and vice-versa.”
Andrea Caulfield-Smith, Staffordshire University’s Executive Director of Marketing, Recruitment and Communications, said: “Port Vale FC is one of the closest teams to our Staffordshire University main campus and, with more than 100 years of education and football behind us, both the team and our award-winning institution share the same passion – helping people achieve their potential."
Head of Commercial at Port Vale FC, Ritchie Bates, added: “It’s great that we’ve finally got here and opened the Staffordshire University Fan Zone. The University is a great brand to affiliate and partner with for something like this. We’ve got a lot of kids and families here, so it’s a great brand to be associated with, and hopefully it feels the same for the University as well.”
The club will change what is inside the Fan Zone each matchday and will work in partnership with the University throughout the year to keep fans engaged.