Founded in 1889
Playing in red and white
Languishing at the bottom of the lower tiers
In danger of disappearing ….. until a millionaire fan came to the rescue, invested in the team, facilities, community and turned the club’s fortunes around
This will sound familiar to Brentford fans, most of whom will never have heard of Larne Football Club, but the similarities don’t end there. With populations of around 30,000, Brentford and Larne are roughly the same size and both have had their reputations boosted by the success of their football clubs over the past few years.
Larne, where I grew up, is a port town on the east coast of Northern Ireland about 20 miles north of Belfast and due West of Carlisle.
It hasn’t had a great reputation over the years and if you mention the place you’ll often hear that ‘the best thing about it is the road/boat out of it!”.
Yet Larne folks are currently brimming with pride about their wee town’s achievements.
Larne FC are the 2023 Northern Ireland Football League Champions, lifting the Gibson Cup for the first time in their 134 year history.
The transformation has been achieved in a stunningly short time. In September 2017 Larne were in the second tier of the Irish Football League when Kenny Bruce MBE, co-founder of online estate agents Purplebricks, bought the club and said he wanted to hear the Champions League music ring out over their home ground, Inver Park.
Cue wry smiles and eye rolls from many, not least because the team were playing to tiny crowds and the local council had temporarily closed Inver Park as it was deemed unsafe. You may be thinking there’s echoes of Mathew Benham and you’d be right.
Bruce bought the ground from the council and began to refurbish and improve the pitch and stands.
He professionalised the team and inspired the club and the local community with his vision and passion.
The team won promotion to the top tier in 2018-19 and five short years later they’re the champions.
Like Brentford, Larne FC have a bigger and broader local vision and their focus is not just around what they do on the pitch. Joel Neill, Director (Supporter Liaison and Community Engagement) says ‘Kenny Bruce brought a business brain and a fresh look at how we operated. We wanted to do it right on and off the pitch, having the club as a hub for the local community and being a catalyst for change. We have a passion for our hometown and the people of Larne have got behind us. We’ve worked closely with our supporters clubs to create a welcoming family atmosphere at Inver Park. Our supporters have a direct channel to the Board through the monthly forums I hold’.
With a Mission statement that ‘Our success will be measured by what people see and how they feel about our club’ they live their values of Inclusivity; Togetherness; Pride in Larne; Sustainability and Forward Thinking in everything they do. Innovation has been part and parcel of Brentford’s approach, and in sdimilar ways Larne are innovating across the board. In 2018 Larne FC partnered with the Steven Gerrard Academy to become the first football club in Northern Ireland to offer 16-18-year-olds a full-time Scholarship Programme combining education and professional training. The club revived their women’s team and, after 4 consecutive promotions, Larne Women will play in the Northern Ireland Football League Women’s Premiership for the first time this year. On International Women’s Day 2022, Larne FC became the first club in Northern Ireland to partner up with HerGameToo in raising awareness of sexism within the footballing industry.
In his end of season message Gareth Clements, Larne FC Chairman said ‘The success of a football club will always be measured primarily by on field successes and we’re proving that our model and methodologies are working. We have however achieved so much more than silverware in capturing the hearts and minds of so many people and re-engaging this great town with our club.’
Where next for Larne FC? Joel says that the on pitch success is fantastic, and being brave has paid off, but the club wants to do more off the pitch to continue to grow the community involvement and maximise support in the town. And, of course, everyone wants to hear the Champions League music ring out around Inver Park as they make their first ever appearance in the qualifiers for the Champions League this summer. Hopefully the similar trajectories of the two clubs is a good omen and it won’t be long before we can say the same at Brentford!
What do you think – tell Sharon !
With huge thanks to Bill Guiller Larne FC for the 2nd & 3rd images
Sharon Wright, Bees United Deputy Chair
