POLITICIANS will take part in a penalty shoot-out for the chance to win votes from a football crowd.

Lewes FC has laid down the gauntlet for the town’s five parliamentary candidates to take part in a sudden death shoot-out in what the club is dubbing their own take on “first past the post” politics.

The quintet will step up to the spot at half-time of the fan-owned community club’s home game against Leatherhead today.

The winner of the shoot-out will then have one minute on the club’s PA system to get their message across to the Lewes fans.

The challenge began as an April Fools’ Day story that the club posted on their website but became a reality when the parliamentary candidates took up the challenge.

Liberal Democrat Norman Baker, Conservative Maria Caulfield, Labour’s Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Alfie Stirling of the Green Party and Ukip’s Ray Finch are all due to swap the ballot box for the penalty box for the sporting challenge.

To assist the participants, the club has even sent them a video with technique tips on how to take the perfect penalty.

The shoot-out will begin at 3.45pm in front of the club’s Philcox stand.

Mr Baker, who is a shareholder at the club, said: “I used to play as a full-back, which is not exactly ideal preparation for a penalty shoot-out.

“I think I have a better chance of winning the election here in Lewes than winning the shoot-out.

“It’s a great original idea from Lewes who are a great community football club.”

Miss Caulfield said: “I think I will definitely come last in this competition.

“I am a shareholder at Lewes and I love watching football but I am definitely not a football player of any sort.

“Great credit to Lewes for organising this, I think it’s important to make people aware who is standing and who they are voting for in a couple of weeks’ time.”

Mr Russell-Moyle said: “I certainly don’t fancy my chances but I hope to be a better politician than footballer.

“Labour has policies in its manifesto assisting supporters on to boards of all football clubs and to legislate for fans to be able to turn clubs into cooperatives so it will be great to be at the club that inspired these policies.

“I’m sure the Rooks will do much better than me considering they need the points on their last home game of the season.”

Factfile

  • University of Brighton’s Dr Nick Smeeton spent 200 hours researching the best way to take a penalty.
  • His lengthy study concluded that penalty takers should “rely on fake moves and trickery to score rather than power or placement”.
  • In 2010, Dr Iain Greenlees at the University of Chichester discovered that strikers were twice as likely to miss if the opposing goalkeeper wore red.