In love with the local: The “special spark” behind Leamington FC

Walking through the turnstiles at Your Co-op Community Stadium, the home of Leamington Football Club, sees you immediately be greeted by the community feel that is central to local sport. As the club’s manager, Paul Holleran, explained in a comment to The Boar Sport, “You can see when you look at the crowd on a matchday, the number of people of all different ages from all different backgrounds – it’s like a melting pot.”

Leamington FC, nicknamed the Brakes, plays in the Vanarama National League North following their promotion at the end of last season. The Brakes have a complex history, with the club reforming in 2000 after the demolishing of the old ground left fans without a local team to support.

Now, the club’s home ground is a 15-minute bus ride away from Leamington Spa station. By the summer of 2028, however, the hope is that it will relocate once more, this time to a newly built, 5,000-seat stadium off Fusiliers Way.

Post-match, “after every game, fans and players go for a drink in the bar”

The atmosphere in Leamington’s ground on match day is both similar and different to those seen in higher league teams’ stadiums. Like these environments are, Leamington FC is filled with passionate fans who want nothing more than to see their team win, however, as Holleran explained at Leamington there’s no “disconnect between players and fanbase”.

The families of Brakes players sit amongst the fans who can get as close to the pitch as possible. Post-match, “after every game, fans and players go for a drink in the bar”. It is that “sense of community” that makes the club so special and causes Holleran to “always” be “proud to be Leamington manager”.

It’s not only the fan and player interaction that makes lower league football different to the higher tiers, but also the fact that it is significantly more accessible, with tickets to a Brakes home game costing students £8.

Further to this, the club is now offering free transport from Leamington Spa station to the ground for each Saturday home game

Max Passantino, Leamington FC’s head of media and student in Leicester, stated that “there isn’t really something equivalent of Leamington at the same level”. Being based in Leicester means that Passantino would have to choose between “paying stupid money to go to a Premier League game or trying to find a Leicestershire Senior League team to get a football fix”. Instead, he chooses Leamington FC, a financially accessible team which displays quality performances time and time again.

Further to this, the club is now offering free transport from Leamington Spa station to the ground for each Saturday home game. Two shuttles depart from the station at 13:50 and 14:20 allowing fans to arrive in time for the 15:00 kick-off. Passantino hopes that this transport will make it “a lot easier for Warwick students to get down and have a pint on the terraces while watching a good level of football”.

As Passantino stated, watching the Brakes on a Saturday afternoon is “either a good few hours break from doing assignments or a good pre-drinks session to a Saturday night in Leam!”.

Supporting the Brakes is about more than cheering for their senior team, it’s also about ensuring that the club can continue to contribute positively to the local community

In attending a match, for either of the above purposes, students will also be able to immerse themselves in the culture of local sports. Craig Barnes, a member of Leamington FC’s media team, mentioned how those “helping to run the club” are “community spirited”. Barnes himself began as a PA reporter after the club’s reform in 2000 and went on to report on matches for local radio before spending 16 years working for BBC Sport. In 2017, he returned to Leamington and headed back behind the mic for the club in 2022. He wanted to help “capture all the highs and lows of supporting the Brakes”.

Supporting the Brakes is about more than cheering for their senior team, it’s also about ensuring that the club can continue to contribute positively to the local community. As Holleran explained, “Leamington’s just one of hundreds of football clubs up and down the country that do so much locally”. Recent research from British Future found that football clubs increase social connection in their local areas leading to the breaking down of prejudice from different walks of life. By supporting Leamington FC, fans help to sustain these efforts.

It’s these community contributions, the connections between fans and players, and the accessibility of Leamington FC that give it what Holleran describes as “a special spark”.

Once you step into the stadium, you’ll soon realise why so many are in love with the local side

So, whether you’re a University of Warwick student who’s a die-hard football fan, or one who’s simply searching for some weekend entertainment, make your way down to Leamington FC to watch a game and experience the community that comes with the club. Once you step into the stadium, you’ll soon realise why so many are in love with the local side.