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Edgeley Park buy back bid nets huge response for pixels

12/ 3/2008

STOCKPORT County’s innovative bid to regain ownership of Edgeley Park has kicked off in style.

As exclusively revealed in the Stockport Express last week, the club has set up a website selling one million pixels of a photo of the ground – at £1 a pop.

And nearly 50,000 have gone in the first week alone.

The international media frenzy that followed our article has ensured worldwide interest, with 46,591 pixels being purchased from as far afield as Seattle, New Zealand and Australia.

Blocks have been bought up by advertising companies, while others have used their pixels to pay tribute to lost love ones or paid £1 to leave a message of support for the team.

www.groundforapound.com  has received almost 500,000 hits since its launch and was even the subject of fascination on Sky’s Soccer AM - where the crew chipped in for a 48 block.

It’s all to raise the £1million deposit to begin taking over the Hatters ‘spiritual home’ from double glazing magnate Brian Kennedy.

Managing director Mark Maguire said: "It’s a brilliant response for the first week - remarkable.

"After the Express, it went national and now we’re doing interviews for the American press.

"And it pays too - one company reported 2,000 hits on its logo and one website reported 500 extra hits from just a £1 space."

He added: "It’s also very touching to see the site being used for tributes, and the amount good luck messages on the picture and in the post have been quite humbling."

Mr Maguire expects the drive to snowball and anticipates even greater pick-up in the next ‘crucial’ eight weeks.

The biggest block so far is from the yellow message board (County’s fan forum) at £1,000.

The Stockport Express and Times, which already sponsors the club £2,000 annually through the corporate 100 Club, has already got on board and is encouraging local businesses and individuals to support the club’s fantastic efforts.

Mr Maguire described the Stockport County FC camp as a ‘very happy and buzzing’ one.

He added: "Thanks to the Stockport Express for supporting us from the start and all the pixel-buyers so far - but not everyone’s happy.

"The poor people who actually have to process the pixels swear I’ve created a monster."