Blackpool, Bury And The Need For Reform

Dan Whelan Talks To Blackpool Supporters Trust Chair Christine Seddon About What Football Must Do Next.

THE novelty of having football back in their lives has still not worn off for Blackpool supporters.

It is half past one on Saturday afternoon and the Bloomfi eld Brewhouse is bursting at the seams ahead of the Seasiders’ match with Portsmouth.

The bar is four deep and the DJ is playing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline while the punters sing along.

During the days of the boycott a scene such as this on a Saturday afternoon would have been impossible to find.

“The pubs were quiet compared to now. We’re hoping this is going to kick-start Blackpool as a town. There have been so many improvements and so much investment, and everyone is so enthusiastic,’ says Christine Seddon, chair of the Blackpool Supporters’ Trust (BST).

The club and the town are working as one for the betterment of both. The shirt sponsor this season, Visit Blackpool, is perhaps the most tangible indication of this fact.

For four years Christine and thousands of other fans stayed away from Bloomfi eld Road in a bid to force despised owner Owen Oyston out.

It was the ultimate sacrifice for a football fan. Christine’s mum, a Blackpool supporter for her entire life, passed away last year. Sadly, she never got to see the reward for her efforts.

Oyston is gone now and the new owner, Hong Kong-based businessman and lifelong Seasider Simon Sadler, has taken his place.

Christine, along with many others, was in the courtroom the day the judge announced that a receiver was to be appointed, essentially wrestling control of the club away from Oyston.

“The courtroom was full. It was so emotional, everyone was in tears,” she said. “Simon Sadler is one of a new breed of owners, he is the voice of the fans and understands what the club means. We’ve been really blessed, which is not something I thought I would say as a Blackpool fan a couple of months ago.”