However, it seems that a summary of the past and current situation of Shrimps Supporters could be useful, if only to offset some of the misconceptions and downright inaccuracies that have been put around recently. I apologise that this piece may be a bit long, but several aspects are relevant and need to be given air. I do ask that what I say here is taken as a whole and that bits are NOT taken out of context.
The Supporters Club was formed quite a long time ago now, after a series of good cup runs, especially, signalled the return of the Football Club to its position as one of the best non-league clubs in the North, after a long period of struggle and obscurity, relieved only by the 1974 trip to old Wembley in our FA Trophy triumph.
Things started well and after a few years the then committee approached the Football Club, and it was agreed that the Supporters club would become the “Official Morecambe Football Supporters Club” - the OMFSC.
OMFSC organised supporters’ away transport and increasingly successful functions including New Year’s Eve parties and race nights, raising notable funds for the Football Club as well as OMFSC itself.
Sadly, after some years, a dispute arose concerning the management, by the Football Club, of the bar at Christie Park. A number of fans decided to take their business elsewhere, and boycott the bar, and as a result, attendances there were never as good, except on match days, as many fans stayed away, simply getting out of the habit of going into the club during the week. Those supporters left using the club (some still there from a real sense of loyalty to the Football Club) struggled to attract even poor attendances to their events, which became increasingly unviable financially and a serious drain on OMFSC resources.
This situation became even worse when the Football Club started asking, either that OMFSC should guarantee takings over the bar at a function, or simply pay a fee for the bar’s hire, or even both. The Football Club also now took the view, even expressed at shareholders’ meetings, that the bar could only really be a match-day facility. Particularly in view of the poor attendances, OMFSC simply could not afford to operate on this basis, and functions essentially ended. Alternative venues were investigated but their owners would always seek often considerable fees making the situation again unviable.
Running supporters’ away transport does continue, often with good numbers carried to popular games. It has to be said that ideas that all supporter transport should be “amalgamated”, with all fans travelling together, are unrealistic. Not all supporters want the same thing from their transport. Some clearly want boisterous “bouncing” buses, often with pub stops, going to and from the match. That kind of trip HAS to be managed very carefully, of course. It is illegal for alcohol to be carried on coaches to designated matches – all games down to and including Conference level nowadays are “designated” – and it is also illegal to try to enter a designated match ground if showing signs of drink. Coach firms and organisers can be held responsible and fined heavily.
On the other hand, many fans wish to travel to away games, setting off as late as is practical, heading for home immediately after the match, and having only limited necessary stops each way, usually at motorway service stations. If they want a drink, they prefer to get it by heading for a pub in Morecambe when we get home. This group includes many older fans that have supported Morecambe FC for a very long time. Additionally, there are families who, rightly, consider it inappropriate for their kids to spend much time in pubs, or alongside those who may have “had a few”.
These supporters are just as entitled to have their travel needs catered for as others, and it is largely these groups that Shrimps Supporters provides for. These fans would be very unlikely to accept any change to the way we do things.
Note that there are important considerations when the carriage of children and other vulnerable persons is contemplated.
“OMFSC” became “Shrimps Supporters” a few years later when it was felt that “Official” implied too close a connection with the Football Club. That connection did not actually exist, with the Football Club’s ONLY support for us once being, as stated above, to allow free use of Club facilities. OMFSC and Shrimps Supporters has NEVER been supported financially by the football Club, as we have always taken the view that as supporters we should help the Football Club, when we can, and not the other way round. This also stopped us making public occasional disagreements we may have had with the Football Club, as we did not want to “wash our dirty linen in public”, possibly harming the interests of the Football Club. It is hoped that the Football Club appreciates that, and the trouble it has sometimes caused us.
An example here is the sad demise of our Junior Reds wing. Alison Fleetwood would be able to explain her problems in more detail here, but suffice it to say that, since the ground move, she has tried to arrange use of Football Club facilities for the Junior Reds without success. Lacking progress and with the season now well advanced the decision had to be taken recently to wind up the group. Any attempt to resurrect the Junior Reds would be complex, especially taking into account modern child protection regulations.
It is true that Shrimps Supporters is now running at a low key level. In great part, this is due to the fact that there are now only a handful of us running things. So few can only do so much. Over the years we have tried many times to encourage members and other fans to join us in the work, but volunteers have always been notably conspicuous by their absence, with fans, apparently, content to allow others to run things for them. The few that we have managed to recruit have often, sadly, wanted just to sit on the Committee and “spout off”, not actually doing any real work. That is clearly of no use to us.
The new supporters group, hopefully, demonstrates a welcome increase in the willingness of Morecambe supporters to actually get their hands dirty and get involved. It remains to be seen whether the welcome enthusiasm is maintained when the amount of work and commitment necessary long term is appreciated. The number of ACTIVE workers may prove to be more limited than expected in time.
The new group, the name of whose organisers I do not fully know, does appear to have taken the decision very early on that a NEW supporters club of some variety was needed, certainly before many of us even knew the group existed as such. It is disappointing that they did not approach Shrimps Supporters, which some certainly knew still existed, to ask, firstly, why our activities have been so low key, and secondly, to discuss what could be done to enhance those activities. Shrimps Supporters would have been more than willing to talk over how help could best be given, so long as new helpers were actually willing to work.
Sadly, Shrimps Supporters has not been given that chance ! We would though be willing to talk things over and Shrimps Supporters does have some quite limited resources that could be available to take forward agreed plans.
Mike Williamson
Deputy Chair Shrimps Supporters
