Fan power helps bring the ’Boro back to life

By Susan Press

January 12 2009

Football fans don’t come much more dedicated than Simon Cope. The devoted Chair of Scarborough Athletic FC lives many miles from his club of choice and regularly makes four-hour round trips to cheer on the side, which is owned and run by its fans.

Born in Thirsk, the 34-year-old computer expert lives in Macclesfield and travels thousands of miles every year to support the “Seadogs” — who rose from the ashes of the former Scarborough FC.

The club was formed in June 2007 when 128 years of football history went out the window following the liquidation of Scarborough FC. The previous year, the Seadog Trust had been formed by the fans as they joined forces to try and rescue the club and sought expert advice from Supporters Direct — the government-backed group that oversees all supporters trusts and supporter-owned football clubs

Simon recalls: “Like most football fans I never paid much attention to what went on off the field then a few years ago fans started talking about supporters trusts and when Scarborough FC was in trouble we got in touch with Supporters Direct. All that happened over the summer of 2006. We had a large debt of around £850,000.

“As time went on we also saw it as a legitimate vehicle for helping the club and raising money. In autumn 2006 we launched the trust. We first started to question the whole financial situation and also question shareholders’ plans. We also asked questions about the sale value of the ground but in the end a winding up order was issued against the club and in June, 2007, it was put into liquidation”

When the old club went out of business, the Seadog Trust acted quickly to ensure a new club could be formed to compete in the 2007-08 season.

For Simon, who had been a fan of the old Scarborough FC since he was a teenager, it was a sad but exhilarating experience. “We convened a meeting and started liaising with Supporters Direct. We also talked to the FA and set all the groundwork in place for the new club so we were ready to hit the ground running.”

It was also a daunting task. The new Scarborough Athletic FC started completely from scratch with the former players seeking alternative employment. Two years down the road, the club now has 40 registered players and is riding high in Division 1 of the Northern Counties East League.

“We have scored 103 goals this season which is tremendous and are in the last 32 of the FA Vase trophy, where we have regularly beaten teams from divisions higher than ours.

“In 2009, the priority for the club is to have its own ground. Home matches take place courtesy of Bridlington Town FC, who lend them facilities at their ground, which is 20 miles away. The council is now interested in buying the ground back and we have got a good relationship with them.

“We are continuing to talk with them about how to create a sustainable sports facility, which is also one for community use by as many people.

“We want to ensure the council is aware there is a real consultation process with fans and that we communicate those views to the council with a view to getting our base back in Scarborough.”

Scarborough Athletic FC is an Industrial and Provident Society — it has an elected board of 11, three of whom are women, which meets once a month.

Scarborough Athletic also has good links with Scarborough Ladies FC and sponsors one of their junior teams.

Simon says: “The old club went bust because it spent more than it had coming in. But if our elected board did something stupid then we could kick them out. It’s really important to have objectives enshrined in the rules. There are other chairmen who get into it for the money but we have to abide by our principles.”

Scarborough Athletic currently has a loyal following of around 450 or so supporters at its home matches but once it has a base again in Scarborough the fan base is likely to soar. There is a popular website and regular fund-raising events to boost income.

Last year, Simon was elected to the board of Supporters Direct, which is another boost for the club. “I hope we have fully embraced the ethos and I feel I have something to contribute which is why I put my name forward for election in the first place.”

Involvement in the national organisation of Supporters Direct means regular trips back and forth to London. Simon also spoke at a recent conference in Scotland — but then he’s used to travelling thousands of miles every year to follow his beloved team. “It’s at least a three and a half hour round trip which can take its toll if it’s a midweek match but I am not the longest-distance fan by a long shot. We have fans in Chicago, Australia and even Bahrain and we get a fair amount of merchandise inquiries from overseas.”

Just before Christmas, Simon was awarded the Richard Lillicrap Award at the annual national conference of Supporters’ Direct attended by FA chairman Lord Triesman and Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, and former chair of Supporters Direct.

Simon was nominated by his fellow board members for the award, given in recognition of his continuing commitment and effort in forwarding the Supporters Trust movement. He says his experience of setting up a fan-owned club has taught him a lot about the Co-operative Movement.

“I’m a member of the Co-op and because of the way we have been formed we see a real affinity there. We want to promote the Co-op whenever we can and we are sponsored by the Co-op Group, so we do our best to promote The Co-operative membership at every match.

“There are many benefits in being a club, which is run by the fans. First and foremost there is a sense of ownership. The fans are proud to be structured in the way we are.”