Newcastle fans pay-per-view protest raises £ 20,000 for food bank



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Newcastle defends against Manchester United
Manchester United scored three goals at the end to secure victory at St James’ Park

Newcastle fans donated £ 20,000 to charities over the weekend in protest against the controversial Premier League pay-per-view scheme.

It applies to all five matches in each round of non-televised games in the UK.

The ‘Charity Not PPV’ campaign asked fans to donate to the city’s West End food bank instead of paying to view.

Food bank chief executive John McCorry said “it will make a big difference.”

He added: “We greatly appreciate the generosity of the Newcastle fans.

“We are feeding 1,000 people a week and using more than 10 tonnes of food each month, which costs £ 1,700 a tonne, so these donations are really needed.

“We have received donations from London, Spain and the United States, so it is not just locally where the interest has been generated. It really seems to have taken off.”

In October, the five Premier League matches per round that are not broadcast live in the UK are available for pay-per-view at BT Sport Box Office or Sky Sports Box Office.

Clubs agreed to the scheme as an “interim solution” and fans are still unable to enter the grounds due to the coronavirus pandemic, but has been criticized.

The campaign created by Newcastle fans has also been replicated by Leeds United and Manchester City fans as an alternative to paying for pay-per-view matches.

McCorry also said donations were welcome because they can’t raise money from fans on game days.

Newcastle fans are also waiting to know if season ticket costs will be refunded as a result of not being able to attend the games.

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