Welcome to Through the Turnstile, this series of features are intended to shine the light on some of non-leagues leading stars. This time we are venturing through the turnstile looking at Nuneaton Town a club that has risen from the ashes of its predecessor Nuneaton Borough. Although the club is now completely seperate, alot of the fans have followed and are buckled up and ready for the exciting ride that is ahead of them.

How was Nuneaton reborn?

Nuneaton Town FC has been officially registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC), marking the revival of Nuneaton’s historic football club after the collapse of Nuneaton Borough FC in late 2023. Following the club’s dissolution, a group of supporters and former sponsors united to form a new football club that continues the town’s footballing legacy.

Jim Evans, a long-time fan and new director, emphasized the community’s resilience in rebuilding the club, stressing that the end of 130 years of footballing heritage was never an option. Fans have rallied around this effort, forming a Steering Group of around 20 Boro supporters who have met weekly since January to ensure the new club’s readiness for the 2024/25 season.

The club’s leadership includes Ian Cook as chair, with directors Stuart Elliott, Jim Evans, and Mark Lacrouts, supported by Lee Hayward as treasurer and Richard Dean as secretary. This structure, combining business acumen and deep fan representation, ensures that the club is grounded in community values.

Fans were involved in selecting the club’s badge and kit, underscoring the community-driven ethos of the new Nuneaton Town FC.

In terms of logistics, the club has secured an agreement to play its home games at Bedworth United’s The Oval in the short term. However, there is a strong commitment to eventually bring the team back to Nuneaton. Director Stuart Elliott, a lifelong fan and sponsor, emphasized his dedication to one day returning the club to its hometown.

(Source:https://www.nuneatontownfc.co.uk/)

“I think that everyone involved in getting Nuneaton Town up and running deserves huge credit, the whole process of building the club has been done with complete transparency. All of us fans have been kept in the know and quite frankly it has been brilliant.”

Nuneaton Town Fan – Phil Kirkham

Club legends (as told by Fan Gav P)

It would be unfair to name just two people to be honest. Everyone that has spent hours of their free time and had sleepless nights setting up the club. The various working parties should all get a mention. Without their time and commitment this journey would never have started. That also includes the players/management/ coaching staff/kit staff.

Kit

2024/2025 Replica Kit – £32

https://www.sportingtouch.com/products/club-shop-nuneaton-town-fc-home-replica-jersey.html

Stadium info

The Oval* (CV12 8NN)
Capacity – 3000 ( 300 💺)
Number of stands – 1
Artificial Turf

*Home of Bedworth United – who are accomodating Nuneaton Town for their 1st season as a club.

Entry Price

Matchday Tickets
Adults £8
Concessions (65+) £6
Young Adults (16-18) £6
Children (5-15) £1
Children (Under 5) FREE

Payment by cash or card on the turnstile.

Season ticket prices (click photo to visit website page)

Special mention

Looking to visit the new Nuneaton this season then here you go, a full fixture list with plenty of cracking ties to choose from. Get yourself down to a game and enjoy the rebirth of this amazing team.

Matchday Programme
£2 Printed (covers three home games)

Stadium Shop

Now you would be forgiven to think I have included the wrong link here with the vast amount of options available to purchase via the club shop but i have not and this vast selection is in fact available to buy! Incredible turnaround in such a short space of time, very very impressive.

Another point to make is that the prices are very reasonable too, a very smart branded polo shirt for just £15 go onnnnn!

The stadium shop – https://www.sportingtouch.com/club-shops/ntfc/

Itssssss pin badge corner…and what do we have here! They are straight out of the gate with not one but two lovely little pin badges! Grab yourself one or maybe both!!!!!!

Price – £5 each

Special Mention

Now I must make a quick shout out to for the clubs website as a whole, In my day to day job I deal with alot of website work and have also now seen many many non-league clubs websites and I have to say Nuneaton Towns website is by far the most impressive one I have seen so far.

https://www.nuneatontownfc.co.uk/

Sections such as the squad page just look extremely professional and even display the company who sponsors them with a live url link to their website, the small details which mean so much to companies who look to invest in sponsorships. It is these small details which give me the impression that this is a club which knows what it wants to do and knows what fans/sponsors want to see and delivers on it.

Drinks

Get the drinks in and get them in now!

Now as previously mentioned this is the home of Bedworth United and here is the inside of the clubhouse that will serve all of you drinkers, it is quite a large clubhouse that has a wide bar, plenty of seats (including some sofas) and a pool table for before and after the games. So now you know where to head to get the rounds in!

Food

Well well well !

Now if this is your first time joining us on a club feature, firstly welcome, and secondly you wont know that this is the section, which in my eyes at least, is the most important and the one which i get the most excited about writing….(fat boy i know).

Nuneaton do not disappoint with their matchday food being provided by Ghetto Grub – (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088399986761)

“Ghetto Grub UK is the the scran supplier for both Nuneaton Town FC and Bedworth United. With all meat sourced locally from, voted Britain’s best butchers, Frank Parker’s the smash burgers we offer are second to none”

As you can see they serve up some monster burgers, not for the faint hearted and not for those who are not hungry! If you ever needed a reason to get in early – well i am providing you with one right now!

Now let’s all gather round and check out where Nuneaton sit on our Fab 4 league tables!

Due to not owning their ground the club do not have full control over the prices of the drinks and food on offer for a matchday. However the overall costs for our 4 league tables are competitive and especially when you see the quality of the burger and chips very much worth the cost associated.

Plus for those driving or non-drinkers attening a game – a cup of tea for just £1.20 is perfect value!

Top 3 current players (as told by fan Jim Whitmore)

Brandon Bache, Liam Daly and Louis Baker

Brandon Bache – An excellent goalkeeper and is a very good shot stopper.

Liam Daly – A good old fashioned centre half, nothing gets past him and he uses his experience well.

Loius Baker – Quite simply…he has a big engine and gets goals.

A good spine is important in a team and these three form that spine.

Press Play!

The club have kept the old Youtube page from Nuneaton Borough and rebranded it for Nuneaton Town. There are currently no full highlights packages done but there are an abundance of post match interviews and a smattering of goals from some of the recent games.

A work in progress at this early stage but the signs of what is to come are there and the club can only look to grow this platform later in the season once the initial craziness has settled.

Views from the Staff

Q) How does it feel to be part of the rebirth of a club so important to the community?
I feel privileged to be involved with a good bunch of people who are all dedicating their time and efforts to get the club up and running and ensure that Boro fans have a football club to support, albeit a new and different one to previously. Football clubs and the communities that are built up and around them are vitally important and for some key parts of their social life and interacting with others in their area.

Q) In the short space of time the club has been up and running, what are you most proud of?
The fact that we managed to do it so quickly, all in our spare time, along side our jobs, families and other interests! For a lot of us Boro fans, we have spent a lot of time being consumers of our football club rather than active participants with a real say and role to its running. Also that we are trying to be as transparent as we can be, especially about finances. Hopefully this builds confidence even if not everyone agrees with decisions being made, at least they might be able to see the rationale for them.

Q) What one thing do you think sets you apart from other non-league clubs?
To be honest, I don’t think there is anything exceptional compared to other non league clubs. Nearly every non league club is powered by a behind the scenes team of people and group of fans who are trying their best to ensure that everything is prepared and ready for the team to go out and do their best. One thing, I am proud of is Nuneaton fans loyalty and commitment through some truly difficult times when it would have been easy to completely give up and move on to other things.

Q) What is the main challenge you have personally faced so far?
I would say that putting your head above the parapet and getting fully involved means you take on quite a lot of responsibility and work. That can be difficult to come to terms with as you can think about what would happen if all of us volunteering slowly drifted away and others were not there takeover, where would that leave the club, and more importantly the fans it means so much to?

Also trying to balance work, family and football club commitments is a constant challenge!

Q) What makes football in Nuneaton so special?
Like other clubs, we have our own little club culture and shared experiences that are unique to Nuneaton / ‘the Boro’. Where you can have stood next to or near someone every Saturday for years, not knowing their name or much about them other sharing a nod of acknowledgement of being Boro fans. But if you happen to strike up a conversation, a few words can spark memories of these shared experiences following the club.

It could be; Tiverton away; Jimmy Armson’s goal against Brackley in the play off semi final; Boro Jumbo’s; Acco’s header against Droylsden; beating beating Banbury in the FA Trophy last season; Guy Hadland’s arse; Farnborough at home when we were relegated from the Conference/Burr Out!; the price of onions; Brian Quailey; the Workington 5; the ‘who are we?’ man; Brewno; skipgate; Leiston in the play off final and the coach on the way back on a Tuesday night; Boropig and Truro/Newquay; Murphy’s pen against Middlesbrough and the trip up there via Thirsk, trips on the BISC, Chelsea and his flags and badges.

Unless you support Nuneaton these things wont mean anything to you, but for us, they are key bits of our collective shared experiences and culture. (I’m sure fans of other ages have their own key recollections too).

View from the fans

Q) How long have you been a fan of Nuneaton as a club ?
Since a child. Seeing the floodlights from my bedroom window and getting in 20mins before the game ended as I could get in for free. That’s over 50 years. Couldn’t always get to games and moving out of Manor Park hurt.

Q) How did it feel to have the club resurrected in the off-season?
Best news. Watched closely over social media how it happened. Voted on the club name and badge design. The whole steering group , the cooperative and everyone involved have done an almost impossible job getting our club back in a short time with nothing. Not even a ball.

Q) The fans have reacted with great passion and over 100 season tickets sold – how does this make you feel?
Being part of the number who purchased season tickets it’s incredible and shows support for all those that put in alot of time and commitment to get this club back.

Q) What is your favourite part of supporting a non-league club?
The community spirit and feeling part of it and not a faceless fan. Seeing proper football with a pint in my hand and a smile on my face.

Q) Who is the one player you are looking forward to watching this season?
Liam Daly … solid in defence , commands the back and when the ball goes in I know he’s going to win it. Had the same feeling with Terry Angus.

Q) What are your hopes for the new season?
Promotion if we can but most important is stability and sustainability with the club which, with the set-up we have I’m sure we will achieve

Q) Nuneaton Town are the phoenix club from the ashes from Nuneaton Borough – how was that whole transition and did it always look like you would have football to watch this season in nuneaton?
Nuneaton has always been a giant in non league football so in my mind it was never in doubt that we would have a club to support going into 24/25. With regard to the transition, it has been relatively easy for me as I was happy just to be watching a team play.

Q) How excited are you for this season – starting as clear favourites for promotion is there an extra pressure that maybe hasnt been there for a few years now?
I think excited is an understatement! I believe that there is a little bit of added pressure however the players Russ and Acco have brought in are all higher league players like step 4 or Step 5 players. I think we should take each game as it comes and not think about the league table until Christmas as you can’t win the league in September.

Q) In the clubs short history what is the one thing you are most proud of seeing unfold?
The thing I’m most proud of is the togetherness from the fans, management and players, it is such a great community set up that everyone is pulling together to support the lads and do our part. I love helping out on a matchday and seeing smiling faces as we watch our team.

Q) The club has launched a whole plethora of club shop items – what is your pick of the bunch?
My personal favorite item is the Home shirt, it’s simple but effective. To be fair all the team involved have done a great job with the store and the quality of it is brilliant.

Q) Who is the one player you are most excited to watch this season for the club?
This is a tough one, I think the recruitment has been so strong that it’s difficult to name just one. The ones that have stood out have been Cody Mullan and Trevor Edwards. But there are other players like Loyiso Recci and Louis Baker who are becoming fan favourites too.

Q) Table prediction…where do you see yourself finishing in the table this year?
I think we will win the league but with the strength of this league it could be anyone’s. I could see Coton Green and Heather St John’s giving us a tough time and pushing us close.

Q) So…Nuneaton Town is in its first season as an official club but its predecessor Nuneaton Borough was extremely well supported before its unfortunate demise. Has this shown just how popular football is in nuneaton?
Football is extremely popular in Nuneaton and the interest in the new club has shown this. The various open meetings that have been held have all been well attended and the online chatter has shown what losing our club has meant to us supporters. Even after the Boro ceased. Many fans travelled to watch other no league games. This goes to show what football means to us here in Nuneaton. Fans who haven’t been to a Boro game in years are starting to return to worth Nuneaton Town.

Q) Does the way Town has been set-up make a huge difference in that fans are very much at the core of everything the club is looking to do?
I believe it does. There is far more transparency around the Financial aspect. Those fans that have key roles know all too well and have seen the heartache that financial mismanagement can cause as well as other issues. They know what has gone wrong in the past and that includes supporter engagement. The open meetings that have been held, it has clearly been set out what the plan is, that’s included budgeting, recruitment, getting back to Nuneaton, crowd funding.

Q) How excited was you to know that you would have the option of a Nuneaton football team and was the decision to be a fan a no-brainer?
Most fans were excited at the option of. Nuneaton Town team. I personally couldn’t wait. I had watched Nuneaton Griff when the Boro ceased. It wasn’t quite the same for me although everyone was made to feel welcome there. I think for most having a new new club with a secure financial base and the regular fans back was an exciting prospect. The feel good factor is certainly back. There are new face and also those that haven’t watch the old club in a while.

Q) Is it a weird feeling going into a season quite a few levels below where you had previously watched your team play in?
It is a little strange but we have all soon got used to that t in a short period. You only have to look at the attendance at the first game (511) then our away support so far. There are no long away coach trips yet as fixtures are fairly local compared to step 3. We are here in this league and we have to crack on with it and support in numbers both home and away.

Q) What are your overall hopes for this year and 2-3 years beyond this one?
My personal hopes are for promotion and for the club to continue in the way it’s going. At the moment it’s looking healthy but it’s early days.
For us to get a ground back in Nuneaton as currently we are renting from Bedworth Utd. Getting our own ground will help with financial stability and would potentially produce more revenue opportunities from, gate, bar and food. At the moment we only get revenue from gate receipts and the merch store we have on Match days. But more importantly we need a stadium we can call our Teams home.
Us fans want lessons to be learned from the various mistakes of the past.

Q) Why should someone come down to watch you in action this season?
It’s an opportunity to watch and experience our journey as a new a new club and be part of that and enjoy non league footy. There is a great connect between coaching staff players and supporters. This was proven at our launch party where those players/staff that could attend did.

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Future plans as told by Director Mark L

We are only nine games deep into our total history , right now we are trying to concentrate on the match day fan experience and getting that right .

So much so 511 supporters turned up to our very first and only home game so far . The fan match day feedback has been beyond our expectations , we are so happy with how its progressing on and off the pitch. Added to that we have sold over 120 season tickets and thats testament to the message we are putting out to our supporters.

Our shared scars i hope in time will unite the fanbase further as we are seeing many old faces that i have not seen for years return back supporting , we are trying to tap into this new found enthusiasm and optimism for the new Nuneaton Town FC. We have come so far in a very short space of time , we feel we have got the balance right with a sensible grasp on football finance. Whilst our treasurer publishes our finances on a monthly basis , our fans can buy into the clubs newly found transparency .

As we pledged from our very first meeting in March 2024 , before a ball was kicked we will endeavour as a board/club to play back in nuneaton as soon as possible . But this will be built on a sensible sustainable model , how that happens right now i cannot say right now .
But the board of directors are determined to make that happen.

As for the team joint managers Darren Acton and Russ Dodds since being appointed have put a squad together from scratch , they have hit the ground running winning every game so far . A blend of youth and experience who know how to win games at this level .

Ultimately the Nuneaton fans and community have their team back and are front and centre of what we are doing as a club . We are determined to take this club forwards , no if no buts .
Getting new and old supporters is work in progress but it’s happening. It’s their club and will always will be.
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So that brings us to the end yet another ‘Through the Turnstile’. Nuneaton Town are a very unique club to cover. A club that is essentially brand new but with the fan base of a well established side. Those behind the rebirth of football in the area need to be applauded as the work they have done in the off-season is remarkable it really is. There has been some negativity swirling around in terms of Nuneaton from those who feel the club will not learn the lessons of its previous namesake, I however can only see a club that has been born and moulded with the love and care that only painful lessons can help shape. It is clear the club wants to be successful but they want to do that in a way that is controlled and is careful, the ultimate goal is to keep football in Nuneaton and they can only do that whilst the club is sustainable.

I for one am very excited to follow their journey and will definitely be keeping an eye out for their results every week. If you get the chance, why not pop along and support the club – grab a programme, a pint and some merch, you know you want to!