‘It’s more than just football’ - new owners put community at heart of plans
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE AS FORWARD-THINKING PAIR PREPARE TO GET TOWN ON RIGHT TRACK
THERE’S a real sense among Grimsby Town fans that they have their club back - and new owners Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit have made it their mission to ensure that’s the case.
A new era has begun at Blundell Park after 1878 Partners’ takeover was officially confirmed, with Stockwood and Pettit stepping in as the new chairman and vice-chairman respectively.
It’s been a long road for the pair, who were brought together under Tom Shutes’ original bid nearly two years ago, and have since undertaken various discussions and seen their attempts almost fall by the wayside on a number of occasions.
It all eventually came to fruition though as the two lifelong Town fans dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s on their deal yesterday, beginning what they hope can be a successful era in charge.
“It feels good,” Stockwood told GrimsbyLive. “We see ourselves as part of the community, so being called owners feels a little bit odd. “We’re part of a team that want to improve the club and build it - it’s a good feeling.” Pettit added: “We see ourselves as temporary custodians of what is a community asset, and we really want to help improve it. The hard work starts here.” Community is the key component to that hard work - while there are undoubtedly improvements to be made to the club as an infrastructure, it’s the bigger picture that the new owners want to ensure isn’t forgotten. “We feel a responsibility, and we feel that we’re taking on something that is very much a community asset that we want to improve,” Pettit said.
“It’s not a financial investment, it’s not a money-making machine. For us it’s very much about giving something back to the place that we come from, the place where we grew up. “We still identify ourselves as very proud Grimbarians, and are fortunate enough to be in this situation to have this chance. We don’t take it lightly.”
Stockwood added: “There’s a real opportunity. If you look at the way politics has gone in the last 10 years and the downside of globalisation - there’s a great book by Robert Putnam last year about civic institutions that we’ve lost over the last 50 years.
“We both believe that sports teams in towns have a massive potential to be a source of community, civic pride and bringing people together, wherever you are on the political spectrum.
“Football for us is obviously key, but reengaging with the community and the football club as a vehicle for civic pride and people contributing and coming together, it’s a much bigger idea than just football.
“For me, it’s an untapped opportunity beyond doing what we need to do to improve what happens on the pitch.
Pettit: “It’s not just on the pitch, it’s also the Sports & Education Trust, which when we did our due diligence, there were some negative surprises, but the pleasant surprise was the work Graham and the team are doing down there.
“We want to help build on that - some of the outreach work and the community interactions are very much unsung, and we want to try and help build on that.”
The pair’s connections to the Mariners go back much further than just their takeover bid - between them they have nearly 90 years of support under their belt.
Pettit’s love affair with Town goes all the way back to 1975 when he went to see the Mariners take on Stockport County, and he’s been a regular at Blundell Park since, while Stockwood’s affinity dates back to 1979 against Sheffield Wednesday, and he certainly earned his keep as a ball boy in front of the away end - “I got spat on and coins thrown at me - 13p which was a good day for me!”
Change has been needed for some time at the club, but that connection cannot be undervalued at a time when supporters have never been so distant from their own club.
“You look at what football clubs mean to communities and its absence this year, it’s been a gaping hole in something we all look forward to,” Stockwood said.
“Even when results weren’t going our way, through the lockdown it was the highlight of my week looking forward to games.
“For me, it’s how do we use that momentum and that sense of identity and connection, and build on that.
“It’s been a pretty depressing couple of years for everybody, and so there’s a real opportunity to use this as a catalyst for positive change and to bring the communities back together as a force for good.
“We’re optimistic about that, and we’re optimistic about playing a part in that, but it’s going to take the whole community to step into that conversation and own it.”