Wolves have been crowned the winners of football’s inaugural Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup, run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS).
The competition, sponsored by Hobsons Brewery, saw 47 clubs compete for the trophy, with Wolves edging past Doncaster Rovers, Aston Villa and Everton on their way to the final, where they met Northampton Town.
Rewarded points for supporting the campaign, Wolves spread the word with the help of Nelson Semedo, Joao Gomes, Matheus Cunha and One Pack, One Planet ambassador Dan Bentley, who posed for photographs with furry friends and campaign frames.
Those same frames were used by supporters and club mascots, while BHPS messaging was visible inside Molineux during Premier League matches across the autumn.
Further campaign support eventually saw Wolves beat Northampton 120-101 and the Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup trophy arrived at Molineux recently following the success.
The trophy landed at Molineux ahead of the club’s One Pack, One Planet fixtures last weekend, with the men’s first-team hosting Arsenal at Molineux and Wolves Women facing Derby County at SEAH Stadium.
The fixtures allowed Wolves to reinforce their environmental commitments and promote the importance of sustainability and climate action, and the Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup win further supports the campaign (for more information, click here).
Wolves’ campaign manager Ed Robinson said: “We are thrilled to have won the Hobsons’ Hedgehog Cup and to play our part in supporting wildlife conservation.
“Sustainability is of ever-growing importance to us at Wolves and, through our One Pack, One Planet initiative, we’re proud to champion efforts that make a difference to the natural world.
“This campaign has been a fantastic opportunity to engage players, staff, and fans in protecting hedgehogs, while highlighting the importance of biodiversity. It’s been great fun tackling the tasks and scoring points along the way.
“Our commiserations to Northampton Town, who were on our tails throughout the campaign. This accolade is another little milestone in our journey to becoming a role model in sustainability across football.”
Fay Vass, chief executive at BHPS, said: “Huge congratulations to Wolves for their amazing work in the final – a well-deserved win.
“Whilst there may not be many hedgehogs at the stadiums, there certainly will be in fans gardens and maybe at training grounds too, so getting the message out there about being mindful of wildlife when we do maintenance or gardening and how we can help hedgehogs thrive in our is vital.
“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.”
The cup and the Hedgehog Friendly Football League (HFFL) spreads the word about hedgehog-safe groundskeeping, asking clubs to place warning stickers on their grounds maintenance machines, and encouraging fans to look after their own gardens and green spaces with hedgehogs in mind.
For more information on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, click here.
