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

Former Brighton and Birmingham stopper has his family getting their hands dirty rebooting Leeds club

They held a sweepstake in the FC Farsley office. How many fans would come for the first men’s game at their Throstle Nest ground in more than two years? David Stockdale, the owner and first-team manager, was cautious, predicting 140. After all, the old club, Farsley Celtic, played in Buxton for much of the 2024-25 season and missed the 2025-26 campaign after going into liquidation.

When 480 came through the gates to watch the all-new FC Farsley play Collegians FC in a Yorkshire Amateur League contest, Stockdale realised the scale of his achievement in getting the club back on their feet. There remains an enormous amount of work still to do – and Stockdale was operating a digger before this interview – but it was the first step of a fresh journey for the Leeds-based club.

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