Chorley FC chair hails support from Boyzone and Westlife stars after buying shares in the club
Chorley FC chair Mark Oldham has praised the impact of Boyzone and Westlife stars on the club since they became shareholders.
Speaking to GB News, Oldham revealed an increase in female supporters attending matches.
“There most definitely is,” he said when asked about more wives and girlfriends at games.
“I was on Saturday with the lads I would go on with, and you have two of their wives who turned up as well, and I’ve not seen them for about six months.”
The semi-professional Lancashire club has seen a boost in attendances since Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy, and Brian McFadden bought shares.
Oldham noted: “When they do come down, obviously they bring that with them. A little town like Chorley doesn’t see much of the big stars.”
The pop stars have ambitious plans for Chorley FC. Brian McFadden told The Sun: “We have aspirations, just like Wrexham and Ryan Reynolds. I wake up some nights thinking, ‘We’re going to win the Premier League in the next 30 years.”
The trio aim to emulate the success of Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham and Gary Neville at Salford City.
“Teams like Salford and Wrexham, who have well-known owners, make us think, ‘Why not us?’,” McFadden added.
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Keith Duffy, 50, emphasised the community aspect, saying: “We’re from a working-class background in the north side of Dublin and it’s all about family. It’s all about community — and coming here today, it’s like being home.”
Chorley FC currently operates on a modest scale compared to larger clubs. Oldham said: “Our average crowd is probably a tenth of what you get to Man City, but even less than that. We get about 1,500 on a home game.”
Despite their size, the club has achieved notable success. “We’ve been in the playoffs for the last few years,” Oldham said.
“We got promoted during Covid to the National League, but we came straight back down again, unfortunately.”
Their most significant recent accomplishment was an impressive FA Cup run. “Our biggest achievement over the last few years is our fourth round FA Cup run, which happened in 2021 when we beat the likes of Wigan and Peterborough, and famously Derby in the third round,” Oldham proudly stated.
The club’s connection with the pop stars began through personal friendships. “The new owners we got took over about 18 months, two years ago, and the new owners are personal friends, I think, with Keith,” Oldham revealed.
Chorley FC has set its sights on future growth and success. Oldham shared the club’s vision with the board, stating: “We want to be a Football League club.”
The pop stars involved have even loftier ambitions. “All the boys have been saying that in 30 years we will be in the Premier League and winning it,” Oldham revealed.
Shane Lynch, 48, hinted at plans for a documentary series similar to Wrexham’s. “We’ve just bought Chorley Football Club. We start filming a documentary on that pretty much next week,” he told The Sun.
Lynch added: “It’s about getting the club into a financially successful place, to get the players paid well and to get the whole kind of town back in love with one of the oldest football clubs in the world.”