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Strikers saw some industrial action at Lancashire housewares supplier What More UK this week – along with defenders, midfielders and the odd goalie…
Cameras from the Sky Sports TV channel were at the company’s Altham factory and distribution centre to film a ‘job swap’ day, involving players from Accrington Stanley Football Club and What More UK staff.
The filming took place on Wednesday (March 30). Sky Sports were unable to confirm when the footage from the job swap will be screened but suggested it is likely to be today (April 1). When it is screened, it will be shown multiple times on rotation throughout the day.
The players swapped the pitch for the factory floor to get a taste of life at What More UK – and a squad of What More UK staff (the ‘Wham Wanderers’) got a taste of professional football in a coaching session with Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman.
What More UK, which offers more than 700 housewares products under its ‘Wham’ brand, is the official sponsor of Accrington Stanley Football Club’s nearby ‘Wham Stadium’. Earlier this year What More UK founder and managing director Andy Holt also became the majority shareholder in Accrington Stanley, in a deal which saw him clear around £1.2m of the club’s debt and invest heavily in building its future.
What More UK director Tony Grimshaw said: “After a health and safety briefing – our equivalent of a warm-up – the players had a go at various jobs in different parts of our 500,000sq ft factory and warehouse (which is big enough to swallow up six-and-a-half full-size football pitches).
“They were keen lads and took a real interest in how our products are manufactured, stored in our warehouses and picked and loaded for distribution to our customers all over the world. I think they were a surprised at the scale of our operation, which goes on around the clock 365 days a year.”
Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman was similarly impressed with the enthusiasm of the ‘Wham Wanderers’. “Obviously they were a million miles away from the standard of our players, but football is all about enjoyment and they all certainly seemed to enjoy their day,” he said. “We were able to give them a few basic skills to improve their game and we enjoyed having them here.”
Accrington Stanley players including defender Matty Pearson were interviewed for Sky Sports as part of the job swap day
