It is with enormous sadness that the Club has to report the passing last night of Associate Director of the Club, and Chairman of the Tranmere Rovers Supporters’ Trust, Ben Harrison.
The Club would like to extend its heartfelt condolences to Polly and his family.
A book of condolence will be placed in the Club shop so that supporters can share their memories and thoughts, and we hope this will bring Ben’s loved ones some comfort and strength as they try to come to terms with their loss.
As a mark of respect, the Club will be observing a media black-out for the rest of the day.
A personal statement from the Chairman and Vice Chair follows:
“In the 9 years since we have been back at the Club, Ben became a key member of the senior management team, a trusted advisor, but above all a personal friend to us both. He was absolutely key to the Club forging a fantastic working relationship with the Supporters’ Trust – something which is rare in football - and which has seen us collaborating so successfully on a number of projects, including support to the local community during Covid and beyond through the delivery of food parcels, the SWA2# community tickets scheme (now known as Nate’s Tickets).
He dreamed big and was hands-on and indefatigable in bringing those dreams to life – as is so well exemplified by the new fan zone, which was his brain-child and something that many thought he would never be able to make happen. That building will stand as a permanent legacy to his vision and tenacity, and it is tragic that he never got to see it opened, although he was closely following its progress right up to the day of his passing.
Although Ben became a personal friend, he was never afraid to challenge us when he disagreed with something, and we hugely valued his input, safe in the knowledge that he absolutely had the best interests of this great Club, and its fans, at heart.
He lived his life with passion and compassion. He was a fearless champion for the underdog, but also a creative and astute businessman – a rare combination.
When you meet people in life, one of the questions we always ask ourselves is “Would you have them in the trenches with you?” and the answer in relation to Ben was a resounding “yes”. He stood up proudly for everything he believed in, he took on huge challenges and ran at them headlong. As Ben’s family so beautifully said, “He died as he lived, fearlessly and without compromise.”
We will both miss him enormously, as will everyone at the Club.
Rest in peace, Ben.