Don’t F*** With Fans: Blackpool FC’s bitter battle comes to Sky

Image: Sky TV

By Jon Donnis

Blackpool FC’s extraordinary rise from the lower leagues to the Premier League was a footballing fairytale. But the celebrations soon gave way to one of the most bitter ownership disputes in English football, as the club’s wealthy owners found themselves locked in a prolonged battle with the supporters. Now, a new Sky Original documentary, Don’t F*** With Fans, revisits the remarkable events that divided a football club and its town.

When the Oyston family took control of Blackpool FC, the club was struggling in the lower reaches of the English Football League. That all changed in 2010, when charismatic manager Ian Holloway guided the team to an unlikely promotion to the Premier League. The achievement brought a reported £90 million financial windfall, but questions over how that money was being used soon threatened to overshadow the club's success.

As relations between the Oystons and supporters deteriorated, Blackpool's fortunes on the pitch also began to decline. Frustrated fans organised a protest movement that would become one of English football's most significant supporter campaigns. Boycotts, guerrilla tactics and years of confrontation followed, as an increasingly personal dispute over the club's future took its toll on everyone involved. Eventually, the campaign succeeded, with the Oystons forced to relinquish control.

Produced by South Shore Productions, the team behind Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, this one-off feature documentary brings together the people at the heart of the dispute. Former chairman Karl Oyston and his father, businessman Owen Oyston, join Holloway, former players and supporters who helped lead the campaign to reflect on a turbulent chapter in the club's history.

Don’t F*** With Fans looks set to be a fascinating examination of football, loyalty and the power of ordinary supporters to challenge those in control. Beyond the boardroom arguments and financial questions, it is a story about a community fighting for the future of something deeply important to it.

With years of resentment, personal sacrifice, humour and determination at its heart, this is a remarkable David and Goliath story that promises to capture the passion and unmistakable character of Blackpool itself.

 Watch Don’t F*** with Fans on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW on  21 November