Football clubs across the UK are urged to join the country’s only Hedgehog Friendly Football League!

The Hedgehog Friendly Football League (HFFL) is designed to spread the word about hedgehog-safe groundskeeping, getting clubs to place ‘check for hedgehogs before using’ warning stickers on all their grounds maintenance machines.

Since launching, we’ve welcomed 40 clubs – including treble-winners Manchester City – with many clubs doing their bit for wildlife, scoring points as they feature the campaign in matchday programmes and spread the word amongst fans.

However, we’re inviting even more clubs to join– and offering new ways to score points through hedgehog-friendly actions! The League is open to all professional clubs, meaning Arbroath could be better placed than Arsenal, or Morecambe could topple Manchester United!

This year, we’re also launching a new Hedgehog Cup competition for all HFFL clubs, meaning they will need to up their game to claim the Cup title!

Fay Vass, Chief Executive at BHPS said: “Whilst there may not be many hedgehogs at the stadiums, there certainly will be in fans’ gardens and maybe at training grounds too, so it’s vital we get the message out there about being mindful of wildlife when we do maintenance or gardening.

“If your club isn’t in the league, we’re encouraging fans to ask them to take part! We’ve been delighted with the response so far, but we’re opening the turnstiles to more clubs across the UK – and we’d love to see more Women’s and Academy teams get involved in scoring points. Hedgehogs are in sharp decline and it’s more important than ever that we stand together to educate the public to help protect their welfare and habitats – and supporting the Hedgehog Friendly Football League is a brilliant way to do just that.”

Any clubs wishing to join the League should email info@britishhedgehogs.org.uk to receive their free ‘check’ stickers and details of how to earn points.

See the current league here and look out for #HogFriendlyFootball on Twitter for updates throughout the season.