THE GENTRY

Preston fan's are the best, they are the gentry.

 


Gentry day is a fan organised event and is in memory of any Preston North End follower or player who may have passed away in the last 12 months.

The Gentry term was first used by third division championship winning manager Alan Ball Snr in the early 1970s stating to the Press after a game that 

"Preston fans are the best, they're the gentry".

This inspired a number of PNE fans to don bowler hats and even pin stripe suits at Deepdale and especially amongst a loyal band of away supporters. 

In 2005 supporters organisation The Preston Supporters Group (PSG) arranged the "Return of the Gentry" in memory of John Tracey, a member of the original PNE Gentry who sadly passed away. This was a massive success and even saw North End's players wearing the famed bowler hats on the pitch.

In 2008 with the support of PNE-Online and other supporters groups, PSG decided to make it an annual event for all North End fans and the people of Preston to remember anyone they may have lost during that season/year.

A wide range of North End Supporters come together each season with the club to ensure this unique tradition is one of the highlights of the football calendar. 
 

Gentry Day 2023/24 Season

Details on next season's Gentry Day will be confirmed in 2024.

Whilst we are all having a good time on the day, lets not forget what the true meaning of Gentry Day.

Each year a dedication & tribute thread is available on PNE Community Forum - PNE-Online  for supporters to post stories and names of supporters they would like to be remembered on the day itself.

Gentry Day has now become a proud tradition for the fans of Preston North End and the wider Preston Community and has been well received by supporters of all the clubs chosen as hosts over the years, including, QPR, Brentford, Bolton, and most recently Middlesbrough in 2023 with many Boro fans stating it was the best away following to visit The Riverside in decades.

Towards the end of the 2022/23 season PNE Fans voted on the new fanzone bar at Deepdale to named The Gentry Bar with PNE fans now also able to have names of loved ones adored onto The Gentry Wall.

PNE Flags - By PNE Online have now designed and created a number of dedicated Gentry Flags and Banners which have the names of loved ones and members of the Gentry Included on the design. 

The Gentry is a unique tradition to Preston North End at it's followers, planning for Gentry Day and the anticipation of which game it could be starts the minute the fixtures are confirmed.

You can read more on The Gentry at www.pne-online.com in the dedicated Gentry Section, whilst you can also keep up to date with all things Gentry by following the dedicated Twitter or Facebook account's using the links below.