Boreham Wood FC kippot 'flying off the shelves'

A lower league football club has said officially merchandised kippot bearing its logo have been “flying off the shelves” since being introduced this season.

A preliminary batch of 50 of the white yarmulkes sold out within hours of going on sale during Boreham Wood FC’s first home match, a 2-2 draw with Wrexham.

Grant Morris, the manager of the club shop, expects a fresh supply from Rimmon Judaica, based in Sussex, to be delivered within two weeks.

Boreham Wood FC is thought to be the UK’s first professional football team to sell officially-licensed kippot.

Club sources estimated that Jews constitute “approximately 40 per cent” of attendees on Saturdays, with the number rising to about two-thirds during midweek fixtures.

Brett Lewis, a fan who proposed the £8 kippot, said: “This is an inclusive club by its nature – a very community-based club.”

Rabbi Alex Chapper, the minister of Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue, said it was a “very positive way of recognising the local Jewish population”, adding that there is “usually a minyan to be found on the terraces”.

He said: “In a way the kippah is the first ever example of VAR [video assistant referee] – it reminds us that what we are doing is being watched and recorded.”

Boreham Wood FC play in the National League, one tier below the fully-professional Football League.

The team, known locally as “the Wood”, finished 20^th last season, two spots above the relegation zone.