The Wanderers' family will tonight show support for Ukraine and its people as they live through the horrors of conflict.
In tandem with the rest of the EFL and sporting bodies across the world, we are uniting behind the ‘Football Stands Together’ message condemning the Russian invasion and offering its backing to the people of Ukraine.
Members of the Bolton Ukrainian Cultural Centre and Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain will be our guests for the game against Morecambe and will hold aloft their national flag on the pitch before kick-off.
Supporters will be asked to take part in a period of applause – along with the players of both teams – and we will be displaying messaging in support of Ukraine across the big screen and LED boards inside the University of Bolton Stadium.
In addition, there will be an opportunity to donate to support fund-raising efforts to help displaced Ukraine civilians and those left behind in their home town and cities via a bar code (above) and printed in the match programme.
Phil Mason, CEO of Bolton Wanderers in the Community and Club Chaplain, said: “Each day we wake up to further news of the escalation of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine that has brought pain, loss and destruction to so many, with that anguish resonating across the world as we look on in horror.
“We see images of families being torn apart, people losing their lives and homes and towns in which they live moving from a place of peace to one of unjustified and grotesque violence and destruction in such a short space of time.
“This clearly has an impact on Ukrainians right across the world, not least the Ukrainian Community of Bolton.
“As an act of solidarity with the Ukrainian community in their desperate hour of need, representatives of the Association of Ukrainians from the Bolton Ukrainian Cultural Centre are joining us for the game tonight.
“Currently, the Association is fund-raising to purchase vital medical equipment and medicines for the victims of this terrible war in Ukraine and you can support via the QR code. Please give as generously as you can.
“We are One Club, One Community, One Town and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who make up part of our community here in Bolton.
“We stand in solidarity with the wider world who recognise the injustice and horror of this war. Our thoughts and prayers are with each and every one as we seek and hope peace and justice in troubled times.”