Wolves and Hedgehogs!

It's coming home (to Wolverhampton)!

This might seem like an unlikely pairing, but rest assured, it is a really important and productive relationship….

When Fay - CEO of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society - told me about the Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup I was somewhat underwhelmed.

Yes, hedgehogs are ace, and yes, Hobsons does produce a particularly lovely golden ale called ‘Old Prickly’ which has, over the years, been a vehicle for considerable donations to the BHPS.

But how does this link with football???? Oh, yes, I should have started with that - this is a competition between football teams …

Let me explain.

The competition saw 47 clubs from the Hedgehog Friendly Football League drawn to ‘play’ each other in the cup, scoring points through hedgehog-friendly actions. These ranged from raising awareness of hedgehogs with the fans through to the management of the wider football estate - ensuring that the people managing the grounds were aware of the real risk mowers etc can be to an animal who when frightened rolls into a ball!

The two teams making it to the final were Wolverhampton Wanderers and Northampton Town. Over six-week final Wolves promoted hedgehog-friendly tips on their big screens during matches, had players including Matheus Cunha, Joao Gomes and Nelson Semedo showing their support for hedgehogs, and their manager Gary O’Neil wearing a BHPS badge during a press conference.

Northampton Town shared photos and videos of players from Men’s, Women’s and Academy teams promoting the campaign, including Luke Mbete and Holly Mayfield, talked about #HogFriendlyFootball on the radio with BHPS CEO Fay Vass, and posted about the Cup final on the Cobblers’ website.

The winners, by 120-101 points (independently verified) were Wolves … but it was a close run thing. Fay said, “Both clubs in the Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup final pulled out all the stops, and it was brilliant to see so many fans getting involved with hedgehog-friendly actions, such as leaving out fresh water for wildlife.

“We’d like to thank Northampton Town for their valiant efforts in getting so many of their players, staff and youth teams on board supporting hedgehogs.

“Hedgehog numbers are in serious decline and it’s more important than ever that we stand together to help protect their welfare and habitats – supporting initiatives like the Hedgehog Cup and Hedgehog Friendly Football League helps us to make a real difference.”

Kate Pearce, Commercial Director at Hobsons, said: “We’re so pleased to have sponsored the inaugural Hedgehog Cup – it’s been fantastic to see football clubs and fans doing something positive for hedgehog welfare and to helping protect our native wildlife.”

The Cup and its associated Hedgehog Friendly Football League (HFFL) is designed to spread the word about hedgehog-safe groundskeeping, getting clubs to place ‘check for hedgehogs before using’ warning stickers on all their grounds maintenance machines, and encouraging fans to look after their own gardens and green spaces with hedgehogs in mind.

Find more information on point scoring activities and Cup Rules follow the links.

I love this story! How wrong I was to be underwhelmed! And if you know of any clubs who might be interested in joining in next year - email info@britishhedgehogs.org.uk for details. You don’t have to be a premiere league giant like Wolves … and wouldn’t it be amazing to get some small local club knocking out such opposition … like the FA Cup but better!

Okay - nearly the end of the year so just another request - if you are interested in hedgehogs - or know someone who is - PLEASE consider getting my books as presents. Either this or this would make great gifts. And if you want more substantial material, I point you towards this.

Thank you for all your support.