Southend United to introduce new female mascot

Southend United is to introduce a new female mascot which will be designed via a competition for children.

The mascot will be unveiled when Southend United Ladies make their first appearance at Roots Hall in a fixture against Colchester United in May.

She will then appear alongside the club's existing mascot, Sammy the Shrimp, at both the men's and women's matches.

The club said asking local children to design the mascot meant the future of the club would be "shaped by the community it represents".

Entrants, who must be 16 or under, can participate via parents and carers and some schools.

Instructions on how to enter are available on the club's official website, and the submission deadline is 4 March.

The campaign, called Draw Her Into The Game, has garnered support from Olympian Fatima Whitbread and Former Lioness Sue Smith.

Whitbread said: "Southend United have the right attitude to supporting young people and making the community a safer place. When you give a young person the chance to survive, they will thrive.

"I'm delighted to be involved as an ambassador."

Smith said: "I am proud to become an ambassador for the Draw Her Into The Game campaign.

"The programme will help to engage young people with the club's inclusive values, and it will be special to see it all come together at Roots Hall when the women's team play their first game at the historic ground."

Sammy the Shrimp has been the club's sole mascot for the last few decades.

The name aligns with the club's nickname, The Shrimpers, which is linked to the city's fishing culture.

Rylee Doe, marketing manager at Southend United, said: "Draw Her Into The Game is about giving young people, especially girls, a sense of ownership and belonging within the club.

"By asking children across Essex to help create our first female mascot, we're saying that the future of Southend United should be shaped by the community it represents.

"Revealing the mascot at our women's first match at Roots Hall brings that message to life in the most powerful way possible, and we can't wait to see the creativity our community produces."

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