Hawks fan Dan aiming to raise £5,000 to help the club set up a charitable foundation to boost community work

The National League South promotion hopefuls were in the process of setting up The Hawks Community Foundation (HCF) before the pandemic struck in mid-March.

In order to be eligible to apply for grants and public funding from bodies such as the National Lottery Fund and Sport England, the foundation needs official charitable status.

Charity Commission rules state an organisation must have at least £5,000 in the bank for its application to be considered.

Initially, the Hawks were putting in the £5,000 but, understandably, couldn’t once football was halted and all income streams dried up overnight.

Now Daniel Musty - a season ticket holder at Westleigh Park - has set up a gofundme page with a view to raising the £5,000.

Musty, along with friends Steve Murray and Ade Oakley, had been asked by Hawks director Trevor Brock to be among the trustees of the HCF.

‘The plan is to swell and grow the community output of the club,’ Musty, 39, told The News.

‘In the last year, since Paul Doswell came in as manager, there’s been much more focus on the community. Dos is very community-driven.

‘The football club should be at the heart of its community.

‘I appreciate there are more important things in life at the moment than football, but moving forward these sort of initiatives will be more important than ever.

‘If we can get that £5,000 now, we can increase that sum ten-fold through grants and additional funding.

‘The club do what they can - they run holiday courses, they do coaching in schools, they have a walk-in club for the over 50s that is very popular.

‘The club are funding all that but it can only go so far - we want to grow all the activities. We want to engage with more people in various ways.’

Musty was bitten by the Hawks bug around five years ago when his daughter Freya, then five, started showing an interest in football.

‘She was completely engaged by it straight away. That’s what it’s all about, that’s how football can grab you.

‘I’d always been aware of the Hawks before that, but I was much more interested in how Pompey were doing.

‘But pretty soon I became hooked.

‘It’s at times like these that you realise how much you love your club. Football is a huge outlet for so many people - it helps with their mental well-being.

‘Football for me is a big thing, it’s a part of how I hold myself together.’

Following relegation from the National League in 2018/19 - after back-to-back promotions - the Hawks were challenging for an instant return to the top tier of non-league football prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

‘When Paul Doswell came in we only had four or five players on contract, there needed to be a huge turnover of staff,’ Emsworth-based Musty recalled.

‘To get 10 or 11 new players in and gel them together like we have is a huge testament to Paul and Ian Baird.

‘I remember driving to Dorking, which was our last game, winning in the last minute and being convinced we were going to win the league.I felt the momentum was going our way.

‘The togetherness has come back between the supporters and the playing staff. That had started to break up the previous season.

‘One thing Dos has done is bring everyone together, he’s very available - that’s a great help.

‘Freya can go into the bar and talk to the players, and that’s a great experience for her.

‘It’s all about that sense of community.’

Freya has also got involved in the gofundme page, writing about her love for the club.

‘I’ve been a Hawks supporter since I was 5 years old,’ she said. ‘My first game was in the season when we were relegated from the National South.

‘I instantly loved being at Westleigh Park and spending time with my Dad there. We’d go to the Westleigh pub before the game and I could have a lemonade or Coke.

‘I loved having the opportunity to scream and shout at the rival team when we were in the ground.

‘I also learnt a few swear words from the grown-ups around me!

‘My favourite memories are going away to Kingstonian and seeing us win the Ryman league, running onto the pitch before my dad had noticed I’d gone!

‘Watching Jason Prior score THAT goal against Concord to win the National South and celebrating with everyone afterwards.

‘I miss football and can’t wait to get back to Westleigh Park when Coronavirus is over.’

For more information, search for ‘help the Hawks’ at gofundme.com