Crawley Town leave fans rather baffled with their latest club statement, saying they are to team up with YouTube stars The Sidemen.
Scouts will be on hand at a 2022 Sidemen FC Charity Match on Saturday, the 24th of September to evaluate participating players, potentially looking to recruit new talent to join the team in training and in the dugout for the Reds’ upcoming FA Cup first round match on Saturday the 5th of November.
The charity match, to be played at The Valley, has been sold at as KSI and Logan Paul prove a potentially bigger draw than Charlton Athletic right now.
The game is between KSI’s Sidemen group taking on a selection of YouTube Allstars with seven Sidemen members in action at including Josh Bradley, Simon Minter, Tobi Brown, KSI, Ethan Payne, Vikram Barn and Harry Lewis.
Meanwhile Logan Paul’s side will be playing in the game, as will AnEsonGib, TikTok star Noah Beck, Australian YouTuber LazarBeam, Chunkz plus Cal the Dragon are also set to play.
Manchester United fan and United Stand founder and presenter Mark Goldbridge and F2 Freestyler Billy Wingrove are the managers.
Crawley Town currently sit 20th in League Two, with six points from nine games played.
📰 Crawley Town to Scout Players at Sidemen FC Charity Match!
🤝 Show us what you’ve got, @Sidemen!#TownTeamTogether🔴
— Crawley Town FC (@crawleytown) September 22, 2022
CLUB STATEMENT:
Crawley Town Football Club and WAGMI United are delighted to announce a new partnership with The Sidemen — Europe’s largest YouTube collective — ahead of the 2022 Sidemen FC Charity Match on September 24. Scouts will be on hand at the match to evaluate participating players, potentially looking to recruit new talent to join the team in training and in the dugout for the Red Devils’ upcoming FA Cup first-round match on 5 November.
Since taking over the club in April, WAGMI United have set about bringing Crawley Town FC to a passionate global community of online fans. True to those aspirations of becoming a community club that reaches anyone with an internet connection, WAGMI United and Crawley Town FC are excited about this new partnership with The Sidemen and the opportunity to introduce the club to the collective’s millions of fans.
Preston Johnson, Co-Chairman of Crawley Town Football Club, said, “It’s no secret that we want Crawley Town FC to become ‘The Internet’s Team.’ And while we’re normally referring to growing a global community of online fans when we use that term, why can’t it also refer to the players we scout and recruit to join our squad? We know this is an unconventional idea, to say the least. But we’ve never been shy about doing things differently, and we’re excited about partnering with The Sidemen and the opportunity to scout their charity match to potentially identify a couple of quality footballers who can join the club ahead of our first FA Cup match.”
Match ready 😂 pic.twitter.com/bnRvAC250R
— Sidemen (@Sidemen) September 20, 2022
The FA’s bylaws dictate that any player who has formally registered as part of a club is eligible to be named to the squad and potentially compete in FA Cup matches. And while Crawley Town FC remains fully committed to doing everything necessary to win our first-round match, the club also looks forward to the possibility of these new recruits joining our team on a trial basis for training and the matchday experience.
Kevin Betsy, First Team Manager of Crawley Town Football Club, said, “When we step on the pitch on 5 November, our only goal is to win the match and advance to the next round. The FA Cup is a historic competition that is incredibly meaningful to our club, our players and our fans, and we’re looking forward to doing everything we can to make a deep run this season. However, the unique rules of this competition give us a chance to try something different, and we’re looking forward to potentially welcoming some new faces to the team. It’s fairly unlikely that they’ll get on the pitch unless the game is already well in hand, but we’re excited to add some fresh blood to our training sessions and in the dugout — and hopefully bring some new fans to the club in the process.”
Started in 2013 and consisting of best friends Olajide “KSI” Olatunji, Simon “Miniminter” Minter, Joshua “Zerkaa” Bradley, Tobit “TBJZL” Brown, Ethan “Behzinga” Payne and Vikram “Vikkstar123” Barn, The Sidemen are among the most high-profile internet personalities from the United Kingdom — with more than 130 million combined subscribers on YouTube and millions more followers on their various social media channels. The collective have hosted the Sidemen FC Charity Match since 2017, in which they take on a collection of YouTube All-Stars on the pitch and donate the proceeds to a variety of charitable organizations.
As mentioned, Crawley Town leave fans baffled with their latest club statement…
@showponytrader: Please tell me this is a joke… what is happening to this club 😩
@bowers_cameren: These owners have absolutely no clue that they are doing
@TW27151: Scenes when ishowspeed gets his third against Bradford
@matty_crazz: @WAGMIUnited please delete this it’s not too late, thanks xx
@ecfc_hub: You want some help booking a spot in the national league?
@shithouseredss: this is embarrassing lads
@_Aaron_Holt_01: Lads if you wanted Cal the dragon you could have just said…
@LiamGreen___: Betsy won’t be able to coach them
@DarlisonArchie: What on earth is this
@Staceywestblog: I feel sorry for your genuine supporters. I didn’t think I could dislike a club more than Forest Green, but here you go, raising the bar.
@MKEdits7: Imagine the likes of ChrisMD and Miniminter getting a chance to get an actual professional contract what is this life
@bruceywells: We’ve become an absolute joke of a club 😫
@FredNeedham8: ‘Chris Dixon stepping up to take this dangerous free kick in 20 yards from Bradford’s goal’ is something I am SO down to hear
@SouthLDNHoward: Feel very sorry for the proper Crawley fans. Your new owners are truely embarrassing and making a mockery of a team over 125 years old.
@miserableoldguy: How can you disrespect and hate our club this much. Since @WAGMIUnited have came in they’ve ruined everything about this once great club. Loyal, local and the heart beat of our community. You’ve killed it. You’ve absolutely killed it. Sell up, leave. You’re not welcome here
@david_gipp: 😂😂😂 Mark Wright on way back
@LowerThanRy: @WAGMIUnited @SportsCheetah @hunterorrell, you’re turning this club into a bloody joke. Please sell the club.
@harryadams320: Who sits there at the club in these meetings and goes this will be a good idea . We are 20th in the league and all they are worried about is being the internet team and growing followers . WE ARE A PROFESSIONAL CLUB . WE ARE NOT AN EXPERIMENT
@toomuchtrossard: What 😭
@tjd01_: Strangest club going
@MattAddinall: This is beyond embarrassing
@PargeyBCAFC: GOAL | 41’ Crawley Town Take The Lead, IShowSpeed hits one from 25 yards, and the rebound falls to behzinga, who makes no mistake of tapping it home #BCAFC
@Joshctfc: Tweeted the other day saying we couldn’t become more of a joke after the whole ‘fans pick the team thing’. But wait, every week @WAGMIUnited surprise us. Crawley town to scout players at a YouTuber match, grow the fuck up.
@ConBHA: Crawley might just be the worst thing in existence…
@Luke27_____: Cant wait to see vikkstar lobbing nik tzanev from his own box next year in the conference
@edward_w97: Spare a thought for the kid who has dedicated his life to becoming a professional footballer, only to potentially miss out on making his first matchday squad because a YouTuber has been put in ahead of him…
@RyanBuss700: Oh dear please no. This is shocking. These owners are going to ruin us. I already see it. The player with the best stats will be the one we sign. Some one buy the club please 🤣
@LFCFlawless: scenes when chrismd whips a free kick into top bins in the fa cup 😭
@DW94_: @the_pieface nows your time
@hbrooks_coach: So players who have spent years developing their craft, prioritising hard work and patience to achieve their dream, often have to beg and provide a written essay and video footage just to be considered to be seen but a bunch of banter YouTubers don’t even have to ask…
@CB1878_: Oh my days the most PR thing I’ve ever seen in my life
Heard u boys are on a look out for a new keeper? pic.twitter.com/0ForJjv0yo
— Bowers (@bowers_cameren) September 22, 2022
— Mike Jones (@DatCorgiMun) September 22, 2022
Vik steps up to send Crawley back to League 1 pic.twitter.com/xmwPMsNEhI
— ishraq (@ishraqutd) September 22, 2022
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