Jamie Swinney, the CEO of Falkirk FC, finds himself in a unique position in football. At only 37, he controls the day-to-day running of a business which is also the passion of thousands of fans.
The stakes are constantly high. So, what motivates a young professional to accept the burden of these stakes? Swinney explained that it wasn’t part of the plan:
“I remember talking to my dad,” he said. “He never went to college, he just came out of school and worked in a chemical plant in Grangemouth.
“I was sitting there and he was saying, ‘What are you going to do here? You can’t just go to uni and do sport’. But that’s what I wanted to do, it’s a passion.”
Whilst studying at the University of Stirling, Swinney briefly found himself in Brig (and a potential career in journalism) writing sports articles:
“I had no idea if they were any good or not!” He said. “At least with sport I knew what I was talking about and I had a good understanding of football so I felt I could write an article.”
This understanding of football continues to influence Swinney’s career path, which became clearer when he left university:
“I started coaching young players from 10 to 16 and loved it. I absolutely loved coaching and that was just because of my love for football. The CEO role would’ve never crossed my mind if the academy I coached at hadn’t closed.”
Swinney’s first foray into the boardroom was at Stenhousemuir, a club which he had previously been involved with on the community coaching team. After three years he was approached by his hometown club, but the transition was far from smooth.
A difficult start and a view for the future of Falkirk
“The year I joined turned out to be the worst year the club’s ever had in existence.” he said.
“When I came in in September 2021, it was under a previous board. And within two months of me starting, that whole board resigned.
“So you go from being appointed by a group of guys to them all resigning, and the new board coming in.”
Finishing in the bottom half of League One in his first season, Swinney found it difficult to remain emotionally disconnected from the on-pitch disappointment.
“I found it really, really challenging mentally and at times we all struggled a little bit to cope with it,” he said.
“If it was a club that I didn’t care about. If it was just employment and that’s all I saw it as then I would be disappointed but I could live with it.
“Caring about the club makes the hard times harder. A lot harder.”
Swinney’s task now is to steer the club clear of these hard times. To keep the club safe and to keep the fans happy. To achieve this, he needs their help.
The Falkirk Supporters Society became majority shareholders of the club in May and currently contributes upwards of £100,000 to the budget. However, a statement in May said that the club needs £400,000 to run sustainably and successfully.
When asked about the importance of this number, Swinney explained:
“It’s the closest thing to a guarantee that we’ll never end up in the situation we did again, with a full academy, good infrastructure and a squad that puts us where we should be.”
Fan ownership is an admirable, yet potentially unreliable model. Recognising this, Swinney has devised a system which, with the help of a richer single shareholder, should prevent potential disasters.
“It’d be a three-legged stool mode,” he said.
“They won’t always be equal, but if you’ve got three legs, if one is struggling a bit, the other two can help. You’re not relying on one individual and the fans still own the club.
“Motherwell, St Mirren and Hearts are fan-funded. Every model is slightly different but it shows you that at the highest level, it can work.”
It can work, and based purely on the passion with which Swinney talks of his vision for a fan-owned Falkirk FC, it would be hard to bet against him.
Sports Editor @brignewspaper
