A fun day for all the family is set to take place later this month – and the Mariners will be at the heart of it.

The ‘Champions Funday’ will be held at Drewetts Park, which sits between Bede’s World and St Paul’s Church off Church Bank, Jarrow, on Sunday, July 30.

The event has been organised between SSFC and club sponsor The Dunes Adventure Island, with a host of activities and entertainment lined up.

SSFC supporters will get the opportunity to have their 2017-18 home kit signed by the players, and see the trophies the Mariners won last season.

There will also be fairground rides, food, music, drinks and football, including a coaching session with SSFC players Barrie Smith and Carl Finnigan.

The fun day will be on between 11am and 5pm, with a DJ to play music throughout the day and plenty more activities to be held, including a beat the goalie competition.

Wristbands, giving children unlimited access to the rides, inflatables and coaching session, are available in advance for £8 from the Dunes Adventure Island and Mariners Park. They’re on sale from Monday, July 10, and parents can attend for free.

Should your child wish to take part in the coaching course, there is no extra cost, but please register their names at Mariners Park so the club is aware of the numbers.

Four wristbands are available for free – to enter the competition, simply like and share the SSFC Facebook post linking to this article.

South Shields have been handed a trip to Scarborough Athletic in their first Buildbase FA Trophy game since the club was reformed in 1974.

The preliminary round tie will take place at Scarborough’s Flamingo Land Stadium on Saturday, October 7. Scarborough will be one of the Mariners’ opponents in the Evo-Stik League North this season.

The match will be the first time a South Shields team has competed in the FA Trophy since the 1973-74 season, when they were beaten by Morecambe in a two-legged semi-final. It was the former club’s final season before relocating to Gateshead and becoming Gateshead United.

The winners of the preliminary round tie will travel to Farsley Celtic in the first round of qualifying, which will take place on Saturday, October 28. Farsley Celtic finished second in the Evo-Stik League North last season, and were promoted via the play-offs.

Meanwhile, in the Emirates FA Cup, the Mariners will enter in the preliminary round following last season’s promotion from the Northern League. Their opponents will be Bridlington Town or Billingham Synthonia at Mariners Park on Saturday, August 19.

Bridlington compete in the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division – which was won by Cleethorpes Town last season. They finished third last time out.

Billingham Synthonia, meanwhile, need little introduction to Shields fans, having competed against the Mariners in Northern League Division Two two seasons ago. They won promotion to Division One last term.

The Mariners will also again be represented in the FA Youth Cup this season. They have been handed a bye in the preliminary round, and a home tie against Chester-le-Street Town in the first round of qualifying. The match will take place at Mariners Park in the week commencing Monday, September 18.

Gateshead, FC United of Manchester and Sunderland AFC will all visit Mariners Park over the next month as part of an exciting pre-season programme for SSFC.

The club can now confirm the kick-off times and admission prices for each of those games.

The Mariners will take on Gateshead on Saturday, July 15 at 3pm. Admission will be paid at the turnstiles at the reduced prices of £6 for adults, £4 for students and over-65s, and £2 for under-16s.

FC United will be the visitors to Mariners Park exactly a week later, on Saturday, July 22. Again, the kick-off time is at 3pm. For this friendly, admission prices will be £8 for adults, £6 for students and over-65s and £2 for under-16s. Admission is full price for this game due to a contractual agreement between the two clubs when the friendly was arranged. Supporters will be able to pay at the turnstiles.

The final home friendly of the summer is Stephen Ramsey’s testimonial against a Sunderland AFC XI on Wednesday, August 2. Kick-off will be at 7.30pm. Admission will be again paid at the turnstiles, and will be back to the reduced rate of £6 for adults, £4 for students and over-65s, and £2 for under-16s.

Thank you for your continued outstanding support and we look forward to welcoming you back to Mariners Park.