The destination for our latest visit to a non-league club was the newly reformed Nuneaton Town for their game against Birstall United at step 6 in The Midland League Division 1.
We reported the sad news on January 18th last year that the historical side had withdrawn from the Southern Premier League Central and was considering liquidation, meaning Warwickshire's largest town could be without a football club.
We followed the situation closely over the ensuing months and we were very pleased to hear that a plan was in action to bring the club back to life.
It's fair to say there was a sense of apprehension and suspicion from the wider football community with the stigma of years of poor ownership and mismanagement blighting the club, and when news was released about the new club, we saw comments on social media like... "Here we go again" and "How many times is this club going to be allowed to reform?" etc, but we also read many comments from other fans who had empathy for the Nuneaton supporters with all the trials and tribulations that they have been through for many years.
The sole purpose of our visit today was to encourage the wider football community and even Nuneaton supporters who may have stopped going to let them understand and see that this newly formed fan-owned entity is the start of something special and to give those behind the new model a platform to dispel any concerns.
This is a club where the fans have said they've had enough; they love their club and will not let poor ownership and bad management rip the heart and soul out of the club again, and that Town is the future, and Borough is the past!
Today was not about us telling you what Nuneaton Town is now all about It was for the fans themselves to tell you, and they certainly did that!
We hope you enjoy this article.
After being contacted by Mark Lacrouts, one of the many Nuneaton fans behind the new club we gladly accepted the kind invitation and couldn't wait to meet everyone involved with bringing the football club back to life!
On arrival, we received a very friendly welcome and could immediately sense the positivity and togetherness at the club.
Our first port of call was to have a chat with Ian Cook, the new chairman of Nuneaton Town, and what must be emphasised is a man selected for the role fellow fans!
Nuneaton Town's temporary home is in Bedworth at The Oval, the home of Bedworth United about 4 miles from Nuneaton, a ground that has a capacity of 3000 (300 seated) with a 3G pitch and very good facilities at the host club who play at step 4 in the Northern Premier League - Midlands Division currently two steps higher than Nuneaton.
Before the game we ventured into the clubhouse/bar which was already buzzing, with many Nuneaton supporters mingling about and having a few beers before the game, served up by the very friendly and efficient bar staff who couldn't do enough for you, there was plenty of tables and chairs and a big TV screen with the early kick-off on, we then we spotted a gathering of people on one side of the room buying merchandise and old memorabilia from the top of a covered pool table, so we took the opportunity to have a quick chat with two club volunteers Andy and Lee.
Not wanting to give Nuneaton Town the dreaded kiss of death despite them sitting top of the League, this ground is more than capable of accommodating football up to step 4 at least, with two covered areas, including a seated stand and two food and beverage areas in what is a tidy ground with good facilities.
It was also nice to see an area reserved for a memorial for all those connected to The Green Backs who have passed away over the years.
It's safe to say whilst Boro will look to ultimately locate back to their own town at some point, Bedworth United's ground will definitely suffice for now.
With kick-off fast approaching, we caught up with another volunteer at the club called Phil, who told us about his matchday routine and the positive changes he has witnessed since the new club was formed.
The game kicked off with a good crowd in full voice as we interviewed twin brothers Liam and Aaron, who are huge Nuneaton supporters and were instrumental in the steering group that was initially set up by the fans to lay out the plans for what the new club should entail.
We split up during the game with Gary and Tom watching the match from the balcony above the stand whilst interviewing the chairman and others behind the scenes whilst Dan mingled with the supporters to get a real flavour of how they felt about the set-up of the new reborn Nuneaton Town and how it was being run and he was absolutely blown away by the enthusiasm and the feel-good factor that was radiated from every single one of them, and it was clear to understand why because they all felt like they were part of the clubs destiny!
Boro supporter Russell was kind enough to give Dan his views on the club during the half-time interval.
Today's visit was all about Nuneaton Town but what should also be highlighted is the part that Bedworth United have played in assisting Nuneaton in the process, whilst Bedworth will make some much-needed income from sharing their ground with a local rival it should be commended and Dan was lucky enough to catch up with a Bedworth fan of 60 years at today's game and a real character called Eric who was working as a steward.
The full-time whistle blew and it was another win for Boro with the score finishing 2-0 and cementing their place at the top of the table, as I was about to walk back into the bar a fan said to me, "Hold up mate, you might want to see what happens at the end with the manager and the fans" and he was right! It was fantastic to see the togetherness between the joint manager Darren Acton and the supporters, yes, some may say you see this a lot in football nowadays but you could sense this was actually heartfelt and genuine and backed up by the fact that Darren has played 347 times in goal for the club between 2003-2010 and has witnessed the ups and downs and turmoil first hand and completely gets what this club means to the community.
It must also be said the appointment of both Daren and Russell Dodd as joint managers, with their combined experience and having worked together before, has been an excellent decision by the fans; sorry, the club!
After the game, we caught up with the treasurer at the club Lee Hayward who explained what a community interest company (or CIC) entails, which in short is a special form of non-charitable limited company that primarily benefits a community or pursues a social purpose, rather than to make a profit for shareholders and he also emphasised the transparency of the club's finances which are documented for all the fans to see.
Finally, we spoke to Mark Lacrouts, the man who invited us up for the day to wrap up what was a fantastic day and a wonderful insight into the rebirth of Nuneaton FC.
To sum up, Nuneaton Town is a fantastic advert for a community-run football club and we wish them every success going forward in what is a very exciting time and we sincerely hope this article goes a long way in winning the doubters over and that the fans and volunteers who have worked tirelessly on this project get all the credit they deserve!
We did film highlights of today's game but thought it was best to share the brilliant work done by 17-year-old videographer James Hayward who does this as a volunteer for the club and is doing a fantastic job along with Christian Obrey from 'Through The Turnstile of Non-League Football' who does the editing.
Please make sure to subscribe to the Nuneaton Town YouTube channel to see all their great content.
And last of all, best of luck to Nuneaton Town in The Midweek Floodlit Challenge Cup Final against Cradley Town on Wednesday 30th, April at the Poundland Bescot Stadium, home of Walsall FC and hopefully the first of many trophies for the newly formed community football club!
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