Birch's 40th & Final Run To Take Place Next Season

- Alan Birchenall’s annual charity run to be held early next season
- Club Ambassador will be embarking on his 40th run
- Birch and his fundraisers have raised nearly £2M for local causes since the event started in the early 1980s 

A long-standing tradition of City’s final home game of the season, Birch’s Run would have taken place before the Foxes host Manchester United at King Power Stadium – a game originally scheduled for May and now due to take place on Sunday 26 July due to the season’s COVID-19 suspension.

But with matches currently taking place behind closed doors, Birch and the Club have taken the decision to postpone.

Birch said: “The love and support of the Blue Army has helped the annual run become what it is. As this will be the final one after 40 years, I want to make sure our supporters have a chance to be part of it, and we feel early next season gives us a better shot at that.. It will be a special occasion and a thank you from me to the thousands of fans and local businesses who have supported it over all these years.”

Birch and his army of fundraisers – who endure a gruelling 90-minute pre-match run around the pitch at King Power Stadium - have raised nearly £2M since he launched the run in the early 1980s, with more than 100 local charities benefiting from that money over the years.

The decision to postpone this season’s run, and what would have been a special occasion, was taken to give The Birch the best chance of completing his final run in front of the Club’s supporters.

Birch added: “When I look back at all the fantastic work the run has helped to make happen through the generosity of everyone who has donated, it makes me incredibly proud and I know when the time is right next season, we’ll be able to continue that legacy together at King Power Stadium.”

Last season, Birch’s Run raised over £50,000 for The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation, with LCFC Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha taking the final total beyond £60,000 when he presented The Birch with a £10,000 cheque at City’s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day of the 2019/20 campaign.

Renamed after the Club’s late Chairman, the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation aims to use football as a force for good through its impact on the lives of people in its community and has raised millions of pounds for dozens of worthy causes since its formation in 2011.