David Stockdale, the former Premier League goalkeeper, has rescued and revamped FC Farsley, guiding the club back into competitive action in the Yorkshire Amateur League after a period of liquidation and uncertainty.
From liquidation to a new beginning
The club, formerly Farsley Celtic, went into liquidation in June 2025 after owing around £750,000 in debts. Stockdale, who became manager 19 months earlier, was forced to liquidate the club six months later and established FC Farsley. The bank was set to repossess the ground, but Stockdale negotiated with the bank, stakeholders, and his financial advisor to purchase it.
“The bank was going to repossess it, so I had a chat with the bank, stakeholders and my financial guy to see if it was possible … and my wife was last on that list!” Stockdale said. “It was a very worrying time for those three or four months, and it was ironic that we bought it on Mad Friday [the last before Christmas Eve], which I think sums it up.”
Community revival and family involvement
The club’s first men’s game at Throstle Nest in more than two years drew 480 fans, far exceeding Stockdale’s prediction of 140. The venue now hosts badminton, netball, and five-a-side football in its sports hall, which had been shut due to unpaid electricity bills. Stockdale’s wife Katie runs the cafe, his daughters Molly and Daisy help with children’s activities, his son Billy is the kit man, and his father David has been involved in the refit.
“It’s been absolutely relentless,” said Stockdale, who is also a qualified electrician. “People laugh, but I’ve always grown up being shown how to do things, DIY, helping yourself before people help you. If people see you do the work they’re more willing to help you. But secretly I love it.”
Future plans and backing
The next goal is to spend £1.5m on a state-of-the-art artificial pitch, which Stockdale believes would transform the facility. “I want this to be a premium sports facility,” he said. “We’ve put in cricket nets in the sports hall, we want a new floor, we want to host netball and badminton finals. If we’ve got a 3G pitch on the main pitch and a good grass pitch, plus junior pitches, a kitchen, a beer garden – it’s hopefully everything you would want.”
Stockdale has the backing of close friend Adebayo Akinfenwa, who played with him at Wycombe and has joined as a shareholder. “It’s not like he’s thought: ‘This is a great investment or a business move.’ It’s more a friendship thing,” Stockdale said.
Stockdale remains focused on engaging more local fans and sponsors. “It’s great when you sit back and have a pint of Guinness at the end of a game now and be like: ‘Yeah this is great, it’s going forward,’” he said. “But I’ve got this five- and 10-year vision in my head, and I’m only 10 months in. It might not get fulfilled, but this is my area, west Leeds – I grew up down the road. I won’t let this go.”
