Tom Clifton
A 13-year-old boy from Stamford followed in the footsteps of his YouTube heroes last weekend as he went behind the scenes at non-league AFC Stamford’s Emirates FA Cup first round tie away at Hartlepool United.
Tom Clifton, a student at Catmose College, Oakham, was spotted by The FA after posting a video blog at Stamford’s draw against Wrexham. Stamford won the replay at The Racecourse Ground that saw The Evo-Stik League Northern Premier First Division South side earn a David vs Goliath tie against League Two Hartlepool United.
Disappointingly for Tom, Hartlepool went on to win the tie 3-0 but on a memorable day for the non-league side, their number one fan got to meet the players, interact with fans and even get on the pitch resulting in a unforgettable Emirates FA Cup adventure for the boy from Stamford.
Ahead of his trip to Victoria Park, Tom was given a 4GEE Action Cam courtesy of Wembley Stadium sponsor EE and a one year subscription to Adobe Premier Pro video editing software. The FA’s internal video production team (FATV) have also given Tom a tutorial on how to edit the perfect video so he can achieve his dreams to join the likes of Theo Baker, KSI and Miniminter as the next big YouTube star.
On his once in a lifetime Emirates FA Cup adventure, Tom said, “It was such an amazing experience to be given the chance to go behind the scenes following Stamford.
"The club’s Emirates FA Cup adventure this season has been incredible and to play a part in that has been amazing. It was a shame we lost, but the lads gave it their all and the travelling Stamford fans backed them for 90 minutes.
"That’s what I wanted to get across in my video: the fan’s adventure following Stamford into the first round of The Emirates FA Cup.”
Following on from Tom’s successful story, The FA is now calling on fans throughout the rest of the competition to get involved and show them the fans’ Emirates FA Cup adventure.
Lucy Roberts-Hartley, senior brand manager for The Emirates FA Cup said; “We want to see what The Emirates FA Cup means to the fans, everything from the pre-match build up, demonstrating their passion and pride in supporting their team and jubilation or dejection on their journey home.
"These are all emotions and experiences that make The Emirates FA Cup the competition that it is, and we can’t wait to see a varied collection of match day stories from fans from Tom in the First round through the Final on 27 May.”
Throughout the rest of the competition, The FA will be giving away Emirates FA Cup Final tickets after each round for the best video shared on social using #CupStory and mentioning @EmiratesFACup/#EmiratesFACup.
For more information on this season’s Emirates FA Cup adventure, visit TheFA.com/TheEmiratesFACup.
