How former Premier League goalkeeper David Stockdale rescued and revamped FC Farsley

They held a sweepstake within the FC Farsley workplace. How many followers would come for the primary males’s recreation at their Throstle Nest floor in additional than two years? David Stockdale, the proprietor and first-team supervisor, was cautious, predicting 140. After all, the outdated membership, Farsley Celtic, performed in Buxton for a lot of the 2024-25 season and missed the 2025-26 marketing campaign after going into liquidation.

When 480 got here by means of the gates to look at the all-new FC Farsley play Collegians FC in a Yorkshire Amateur League contest, Stockdale realised the size of his achievement in getting the membership again on their ft. There stays an infinite quantity of labor nonetheless to do – and Stockdale was working a digger earlier than this interview – nevertheless it was step one of a contemporary journey for the Leeds-based membership.

The former Premier League goalkeeper, as soon as of Birmingham, Brighton and Fulham amongst a bunch of different golf equipment, is conscious his state of affairs is irregular. He by no means anticipated to be working a membership when he took on the job of Farsley Celtic supervisor 19 months in the past. By that stage, the membership, enjoying within the National League North, owed about £750,000 in money owed and was on the verge of being wound up.

“When I got here in to assist, I had no concept what had gone on,” Stockdale says. “I informed them: ‘You’d higher begin telling me every part.’ They owed lots of people cash. This place was derelict.

“I don’t understand how the membership completed that [2024-25] season. Players weren’t getting paid. I helped out as supervisor as a result of I stay within the space. But it was in a tragic, sorry state. It was about managing folks and getting by means of the season. You would possibly get £5,000 per recreation, however we have been enjoying in Buxton – that was a deal made by the final proprietor. Some huge cash was going out.”

By the summer season of 2025, Stockdale was placing in his personal cash in an effort to save lots of the membership. Farsley Celtic have been relegated from the sixth tier initially to the ninth tier, then the eleventh, earlier than withdrawing from competitors in June. Six months later Stockdale was pressured into liquidating the membership and established FC Farsley.

Stockdale says: “The financial institution was going to repossess it, so I had a chat with the financial institution, stakeholders and my monetary man to see if it was attainable … and my spouse was final on that record! It was a really worrying time for these three or 4 months, and it was ironic that we purchased it on Mad Friday [the last before Christmas Eve], which I believe sums it up. We’ve gone from actually unhealthy, to unhealthy stress, to emphasize, to now having good stress the place issues are turning.”

The supervisor and his household have turn into absolutely immersed within the membership, not simply on the soccer facet however in serving to a neighborhood sports activities facility rediscover a spot on the coronary heart of its group. The membership has a sports activities corridor – which beforehand couldn’t run as a result of electrical energy payments went unpaid for months – and golf equipment have returned to play badminton, netball and five-a-side soccer. There is a restaurant – from Ikea – and tender play, purchased and fitted by Stockdale. His spouse, Katie, is working the cafe, his daughters Molly and Daisy assist out with actions for kids and his son Billy is the package man. Stockdale’s father, additionally David, a painter and decorator, has been concerned within the refit.

“It’s been completely relentless,” says the membership’s supervisor, who can also be a professional electrician. “People snort, however I’ve at all times grown up being proven tips on how to do issues, DIY, serving to your self earlier than folks assist you. If folks see you do the work they’re extra prepared that will help you. But secretly I adore it. I’ve been on a digger, on a dumper. We’ve obtained to maintain going.”

The subsequent aim is the most important: spending £1.5m on a state-of-the-art synthetic pitch. It is difficult to envisage trying on the predominant pitch, overgrown and in disrepair, having been uncared for since April 2024 – the brand new crew play on an adjoining grass pitch – however Stockdale is aware of it could be transformative.

“I would like this to be a premium sports activities facility,” he says. “We’ve put in cricket nets within the sports activities corridor, we would like a brand new ground, we wish to host netball and badminton finals. If we’ve obtained a 3G pitch on the principle pitch and a superb grass pitch, plus junior pitches, a kitchen, a beer backyard – it’s hopefully every part you’d need.

“I’m not silly, I do know what soccer prices. That’s why it’s two totally different entities right here, the sports activities facility and the soccer facet of issues. I wish to be the place the place golf equipment who’re enjoying Leeds United can come and practise – someplace folks can come to, someplace folks could be pleased with. Historically, it’s by no means had the very best services and it’s run down; not a lot cash has been spent on the place within the final seven years.”

The Stockdale household have the backing of their shut buddy Adebayo Akinfenwa, who performed with Stockdale at Wycombe and has joined as a shareholder. Stockdale jokes that Akinfenwa is their “hype man” and says: “It’s not like he’s thought: ‘This is a good capital allocation or a trade transfer.’ It’s extra a friendship factor. It was years within the making and it’s very natural.”

Stockdale hopes to interact extra native followers and sponsors and can’t relaxation on his laurels, even after a profitable relaunch. One look across the place tells him that. So it’s again on the digger when this interview concludes.

“It’s nice if you sit again and have a pint of Guinness on the finish of a recreation now and be like: ‘Yeah that is nice, it’s going ahead,’” he says. “But I’ve obtained this five- and 10-year imaginative and prescient in my head, and I’m solely 10 months in. It may not get fulfilled, however that is my space, west Leeds – I grew up down the street. I received’t let this go.”