Scarborough Unfair

by Michael Price - 10th January 2012

scarborough unfair

This article has been reproduced with permission from When Saturday Comes. It was originally written by James Waterson and can be viewed on the WSC website at http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/3774/38/.

In recent years, several non-League clubs have been liquidated and reborn with the support of fans. Often the new team enjoys a new-found vigour and increased support that goes with progress up the pyramid. But such revivals rely on a united fan base rallying together in the face of adversity; without that unity there is the potential for real damage, as shown by events in Scarborough.

The collapse of Scarborough FC was a depressingly familiar story. Mismanagement had left the club with debts of several million pounds and only one asset: their ground, the McCain Stadium. Financial irregularities had dogged the club ever since their relegation to the Conference in 1999 and the turnover in the boardroom was as regular as that of the playing squad: future Gretna owner Brooks Mileson and John Russell, later jailed for fraud while in charge of Exeter City, passed through in the early part of this decade.

Faced with declining support, chairman Ian Scobie declared in 2006 that the only way to ensure the geographically isolated club’s survival was to sell the ground off for development, pay off a proportion of the debt and hope that enough money was left over to develop a new stadium on the edge of town in conjunction with a local college. But the deal hinged on Scarborough Borough Council lifting a sporting use covenant on the McCain Stadium. They were unconvinced by Scobie’s business case, declined to do so and the club was liquidated in June 2007.

With only a matter of weeks to go until the new season a new fan-owned club Scarborough Athletic was formed by members of the Seadog Trust and entered the bottom of the pyramid in the Northern Counties East League. The group had been planning for this worst case scenario since the start of the year and had been broadly opposed to Scobie’s proposals – there had just been too many failed rescue plans. With the McCain Stadium in the hands of liquidators Athletic were forced to groundshare 17 miles away in Bridlington but they promised a new era of transparency, set about rebuilding community links and began to attract healthy crowds of over 500.

But despite their success it was clear that a substantial minority of the old club’s fans wasn’t interested in the new venture and some were actively opposed. The latter group was centred on the old supporters club and the Centre of Excellence for young players that had continued, self-funded, since the collapse of its parent club. In summer 2008 this group announced the formation of another club, Scarborough Town. The team would compete in the amateur Teesside League and function as the senior side of the Centre of Excellence. Despite Town’s protestations that they had no ambition to progress further and did not wish to impinge on Athletic’s status as the senior team there was little love lost between the two sets of supporters, a situation exacerbated by posts on various message boards.

Town began playing on a roped-off playing field and cheekily declared that football was back in the town while ignoring the fact that there was no ground capable of hosting even semi-professional football in the borough. Some Athletic fans responded by starting an internet spat over the veracity of Town’s attendance figures. Accusations were thrown back and forth before an official truce was called but the mistrust remains.

Meanwhile a protracted legal battle for the McCain Stadium eventually saw the council buy the site from liquidators Begbies Traynor for £1.3 million. But the effects of arson and vandalism have left the stadium beyond repair and both teams are now searching for a new ground. In an ironic twist the most likely outcome in the short-term is a groundshare on land near George Pindar Community College, the same plan that Scobie failed to push through more two years beforehand and the root cause of the split between the clubs.

Athletic and Town are now free of the financial woes that affected the original Scarborough FC But in a relatively poor town that has already seen one team fail and where Premier League football is widely followed, they need to be working together to attract new fans, not competing for the few that are left. Both teams enjoyed championship-winning seasons in 2008-09 but with news that Town are now considering moving up the semi-professional pyramid, they are risking further conflict and limiting the chance of success for either team. Supporters who used to support the old club together from the same terraces need to put their differences aside and come together behind a single team. But in the short term Scarborough United remains a very distant prospect.

Comments

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mikkyx - 10th January 2012 10:25:25

Have been passed a link to an interesting article on what happened when Scarborough went under:

http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/3774/38/

It's actually frightening how close to us their story is. This could be us if we don't get united behind a common goal, and quickly.

Mullet69 - 10th January 2012 10:32:06

It has always been my worry that we would end up going down this route. Divide amongst supporters is unavoidable at times but this really isnt the right time to have the amount of squabbling and bitching we have.

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dfc1883 - 10th January 2012 10:36:06

This is an article I read back when it was originally published in 2009, and I remembered at the time thinking "I hope this never happens to Darlington". I'm glad I managed to find it again.

You can replace about 4 or 5 words in that article to scarily point to the future of this club. (Scarborough for Darlington - Their Owner for Raj Singh). Scarborough were also 128 years old when they went out of business.

We need to Unite all groups otherwise we are heading this way.

fat tony - 10th January 2012 10:47:08

I said a while back that I was worried about folk from Darlington and the area being a bit too stubborn, dis-trusting of strangers and petty when it comes to working towards a new club. We all need to work towards the common good. That's why I was so impressed with the line in the DFCRG initial statement that they were not about egos or personal gain etc. but about working towards helping the club.

People need to wake up, drop any sense of entitlement over what's gone before and be committed to working as a group. That Scarborough case study is a vital example to reflect on what happens if people pull in different directions.

Darlo Nutz - 10th January 2012 10:51:53

Yes, this is NOW the time to come together and be as 1. No keyboard warrior slanging matches, name calling, total bitch fests!!!!! As mentioned earlier a unity meeting, to discuss and move forward. Anybody who isn't there unless for a genuine reason as no place to question anything or raise fault. This meeting is the place to voice opinions and concerns for our club, a club that we want!!! So let's make things happen!!!!

JerseyDarlo - 10th January 2012 11:52:03

Everyone has the choice to not let this happen. Its a simple choice and no matter what your personal issues with other fans there is only one answer that any true fan can really give.

I honestly believe that for the sake of a fiver everyone should join the trust and show a united front. If enough people do this then clearly they will have a mandate to change what they dont like about the trust in its current form. If your annoyed that they didnt chase subscriptions then volunteer to get voted in and do the job for them. Just contribute... Learn from the above article... This cant happen to Darlo. We need to not only keep everyone together but bring back in those who lost heart after the previous admin times.

Its a fiver... dont even think about it just do it as a gesture. Do it as a leap of faith and the worst you can do is lose a fiver.... if you dont you might lose a whole lot more!

I had saved a hundred and fifty quid to buy something i have wanted for a while. Well i decided it can wait and Im now a life member of the trust (£100) and the other £50 went in the pot for the whip round.

Im not a local so donating is the best i can do and i dont know where its best to donate as clearly this site will hand money over now and solve immediate issues where as the trust has the 'pot' that might restart a club\support a community takeover if needed. Seriously though... if we join the trust in big enough numbers then we are the trust as its democratic and so for me its a no brainer.

wishmaster3211 - 10th January 2012 12:45:25

Yes, quite frighteningly close. Maybe worse for Darlo due to the FA taking a view on how low you can re-start to.

Am i the only one sat here waiting to be asked for money to support a fans club...? Its hard to tell whats going on living so far away but there does seem a lot of mistrust with the "Trust" lol.

Anonymous - 10th January 2012 20:23:33

this will be our destiny if we all dont get together the only viable option i can see is to go with the rescue group and start again at whatever level if the 1000 or more loyal fans can pull together it can be done. I will put a £1000 into a long term plan for the future if one is forthcoming and i am sure between the fans on top of any season ticket sales raising £250K is achievable. So lets all get together before we end p going off on personal dreams like headless chickens!