Watch bizarre moment non-league chairman KAYAKS on his club’s pitch as flooding wreaks havoc again
THIS is the bizarre moment a non-league chairman KAYAKED his way through the club’s pitch.
Northern Premier League side Anstey Nomads felt the full brunt of the devastating floods wreaking havoc across Leicestershire.
While 59 people were rescued from floods, footie chairman Tony Blanchard made the most the high water.
Footage showed a high tide sweeping across a submerged pitch, with rips that mirrored the current of the River Thames.
Blanchard, who is also the manager of the first team, saw an opportunity to have some fun at Cropston Road.
Like families who board when heavy snow falls, Blanchard jumped into a light blue kayak with matching tipped oars and hit the water.
The gaffer started paddling from the dugout into the middle of the pitch – which now looks more like a lake.
Blanchard, who wrapped up in a black woolly hat and jacket, then ended his journey on the other side of the advertising boards.
Anstey Nomads wrote on X: The weather has caused problems again at the nomads… But the chairman has new ideas .”
And social media users absolutely loved it, with one fan writing: “Pitch inspection or fish inspection?”
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While another user compared it to a Premier League stadium, typing: “It looks a bit like Old Trafford down there.”
The Nomads, who currently sit sixth in the Midlands Division of the Northern Premier League, are due to host Shepshed Dynamo on Tuesday.
The game hasn’t officially been called off or moved as it stands.
The club are in the seventh tier of English football and are also due to play at home this weekend.
But that now looks unlikely with the entire pitch covered in over five feet of floodwater.
Multiple flood warnings have been issued across Leicestershire as emergency services declare a ‘major incident’.
The Environment Agency has put red alerts in place – meaning flooding is expected following heavy rainfall and melting snow.
Major flooding has forced dozens of road closures and evacuations across the county as water levels continue to rise.
They most recently lost to 2-1 away at Wellingborough Town and were set play at home for their next three games.