The Spirit of the Stoop lives on

By Quins
May 18 2005

To everyone closely connected with NEC Harlequins, there has never been any doubt that the 'Spirit of the Stoop' was alive and although 'dented' by relegation, this spirit would be stronger than ever as supporters rallied round each other, the players and the Club.

To support this belief, over 1,500 season ticket applications have been received for the 2005/06 season already - with each day's post bringing more.

The level of support from Quins fans has exceeded all expectations and the Club would like to publicly thank everyone for their kind words, encouragement and belief in the Club. The sea of coloured shirts at the Sale game was quite breathtaking to see and the vocal support on that day was more than one could expect for a Cup Final.

Supporters are key to the success of any sports club. Without them, a Club is no more than a group of professionals on a field of play. With them, a sports team becomes a living, breathing entity. This is 'the family Quins' - something we are proud of and something that relegation cannot detract from.

Within hours of relegation, a stream on messages on the message board talked of not wanting a refund for their 2005/06 season ticket. This steady stream has became a flood of emails to the office with supporters stating that they wanted the difference in price between the previous price and the amended National Division One price to be put back into the Club.

As a thank you for this overwhelmingly generous gesture, Quins will be putting all names of these supporters on the 'Loyalty Wall' in the new West Stand alongside the names of Club sponsors and partners who have shown their commitment, loyalty and belief in Quins too.

Supporters are looking forward to welcoming fellow fans from clubs in National Division One to the Stoop and to travelling to new rugby grounds - but just for a season! They're all convinced that our stay in Division One will be a temporary one, rather than a permanent move.

Supporters have led the way in helping the Club to get back on its feet so quickly after the bitter disappointment of the Sale game. Alongside the fantastic commitment by our sponsors, the determination by the staff and the resilience of the playing side - the Club has emerged from a week of 'mourning' into a stronger, more determined, focused rugby club. Supporter association, Quinssa, and the unofficial Sports Network website, 'Comeallwithin.co.uk' have both aided this speedy turnaround.

The Stoop will continue to be a great day out for all the family, for sponsors and corporate guests and for any rugby fans in the region.