Exclusive:David Stockdale's vision for FC Farsley Sports Club outlined as Leeds phoenix club replaces Farsley Celtic
Six months have passed since David Stockdale and his family agreed a deal to buy Farsley Celtic.
The story was a heartwarming one, of a former Premier League goalkeeper coming to the aid of a troubled club in his hometown of Leeds.
However, it was not a case of a big name swaggering into town with delusions of grandeur and Wrexham-like visions.
Armley-born Stockdale had taken charge of the men’s first team as manager earlier in the year, tasked solely with ensuring Farsley finished a 2024/25 campaign marred by instability. The scale of the task at hand was immediately apparent.
The club were playing their home games in Derbyshire, at the home of Buxton, due to delays in the laying of a new artificial surface at their Leeds ground. Disgruntled fans had repeatedly spoken out against the ownership of Paul Barthorpe and there had also been issues relating to the payment of players.
At the end of the campaign, Farsley were relegated from the National League North and then given a two-division demotion before withdrawing from the pyramid entirely.
Stockdale’s takeover of the holdings company has now been completed and Farsley Celtic are set for voluntary liquidation. From its ashes will rise FC Farsley Sports Club, a phoenix club born on Stockdale’s watch.
Men’s first team plans
Speaking exclusively to The Yorkshire Post, the former Sheffield Wednesday stopper has offered an insight into a plan that looks to balance ambition with pragmatism. However, it is actions the 40-year-old wishes to be judged on.
“There's a lot in the pipeline but it's very much about patience and doing things right,” he said. “I hate to be one of those people but everyone talks about words - I'm very much about actions speaking louder than words. I'm usually quite quiet about things like that and just let the actions speak for themselves.”
Stockdale wants the club to be a hub at Farsley’s heart, serving a vibrant pocket of Leeds in as many different ways as possible. They have thriving deaf and women’s sides, as well as various junior teams under their umbrella.
However, Stockdale is also committed to reviving the men’s first team as FC Farsley. Work is being done on an application to rejoin the pyramid and Stockdale intends to stay on as manager. His wife Katie, meanwhile, will serve as the club’s chair.
“We want to be competitive wherever we get put,” he said. “But we want to engage with communities to come and watch the games and make it very family-oriented for them watching a game of football.
“Ultimately, that's what fans want, [even if] it's not what they want in terms of being how high they were before. But the point is, people want to come on a Saturday afternoon and use the social aspect of football, as well as watching good football. I might be able to give them the family aspect - I might not promise the good football!
“There's a lot of toing and froing and little things that can happen. The good thing is we're in full communication with different leagues we could be put in, with the FA, and more importantly making sure everyone knows where we stand so we're not hiding.
“We are a new club but obviously we have mitigation being a phoenix club. I have no indication from anybody, it's about how the FA feel. We've been very open in our conversations with all leagues that we could be involved in. They're happy we've had those conversations.”
Pitch latest
The installation of a new artificial pitch is a hurdle that will need clearing if Farsley are to again be members of the non-league pyramid.
It is a project that has hit snag after snag and perhaps wisely, Stockdale does not want to disclose a target completion date.
“There's not a timescale,” he said. “There might be in my head, but there's not a timescale going back to me saying I don't want broken promises. We're in conversation with Leeds City Council.
“There's a lot behind it rather than just 'let's start the pitch'. We've done a lot of the checks now and Leeds City Council are behind us with it. They're working really well with us and we can't thank them enough.”
Sowing seeds of recovery with community engagement
The phoenix club may have only just been unveiled but Stockdale has been sowing the seeds of recovery for months. Work to improve facilities has already been undertaken and community engagement has been a priority.
“It's not just a football club now,” Stockdale said. “It's FC Farsley Sports Club. We've started by putting new lighting in the sports hall, working with the council for community projects to go on here.
“Leeds Youth Service, from January, will be coming in on Tuesdays and Thursdays for vulnerable children to come and learn and play sports.
“We went to a cluster meeting with all the schools to let them know about our facilities. It's all about working with the people that actually give back to us. We have badminton, we've got netball, we've got five-a-side, we've got a programme for 5-11 year-olds to get more girls into football.
“The communication with the community during the takeover, and the small things we're doing with the council, it's baby steps at the minute.
“Having those community things, and the council-led structures coming into Farsley Sports Club, is exactly where you start. There's no point going full steam ahead when everyone thinks it's just to suit what you're doing. Now, we're suiting the community first and then we can move on to other things.”
Back to blue - and an invitation
There has also been an effort to ensure the new club embraces years gone by. Notably, the women’s, deaf and junior sides are back in Farsley’s traditional blue after years in green and white.
The ground, meanwhile, is back to being called Throstle Nest after being renamed The Citadel in 2019.
Farsley last reformed just 15 years ago and locals could be forgiven for scepticism regarding the ushering in of yet another new era. To those with doubts, Stockdale has a simple invitation.
“Come down and find out,” he said. “You won't get the answers until you ask the questions.
“That's not being funny, that's me saying 'come down'. Actions speak louder than words and the place has been tidied up a lot, decorated. It's all about how people see it.
“When they step in and see people moving forward, it's not me telling them 'we'll do this, this and that'. A lot of them are small but they add up. At the minute, people are starting to see the things we're doing. They might come down for a second time and see what else we're doing. That's how you build trust - not by lip service.
“We want it to be somewhere everybody's proud of. We want it to be an open place everyone can come. I'm not going to get away from how hard it has been so far, but I also know the next six to eight months could be even harder. You've got to balance it between what they want and what you can give, and find a happy medium.”