Southend United chairman John Main plans to meet EVERY Blues fan alive in a bid to ease the Third Division outfit's financial burden.

The Seasiders are currently losing more than £100,000 per month, but Main hopes a new club initiative will boost Roots Hall attendances and help replenish the Shrimpers' empty coffers.

Blues will launch their Let's Do It Together campaign next month, inviting supporters to come and meet the Southend supremo in person and pledge to bring a friend to a home game next term.

"I hope by now our fans know that I am committed to doing all I can to bring success back to the club, but I need their help," Main said.

"This is a major scheme for us and I want to meet all of our supporters, but not just the hardcore regulars.

"I also want to see the fans who only come now and again as well as those who have only followed us from their armchairs. We all know the potential if we work together and we all share the fears if we don't."

Main will meet supporters at Roots Hall's Shrimpers Bar on the evenings of Tuesday, July 4; Wednesday, July 5, and Thursday, July 6.

Every fan will get a chance to speak to the chairman on a one-to-one basis and sign a pledge to the club promising to bring a friend to a game next season.

The aim of the ambitious Let's Get Together project is to double Blues' average Roots Hall attendance figure of 4,137 supporters, which would help the Shrimpers balance their books.

It is a figure which the club's commercial manager Dave Comley believes can be reached with the co-operation of all Southend followers.

"Our aim is to increase our average attendance to 8,000, which will solve the financial problems of the club totally," he explained.

"This may seem ambitious, but all it involves is one fan bringing another fan along to a Roots Hall match.

"We need the supporters to back this scheme and the chairman wants to ask all of them face-to-face for their help.

"And if it means staging even more pledge nights than the three already scheduled then the chairman is willing to do so.

"But without the supporters backing we can't achieve anything. Now is the time for the fans to either rally to the call or sit back and take a chance on the future."

Supporters interesting in attending the Let's Get Together evenings need to contact Dave on 01702 304147 so the club can draw up a schedule for the functions.

All participants will be placed in a free prize draw and the new supporter and his or her nominee will win major gifts at every Roots Hall match, as long as they are in attendance.

Blues manager Alan Little was due to meet an un-named defender for transfer talks today.

John Main - new scheme

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