Graham Bailie reflects on journey back to top flight and looks towards the future.
BANGOR FC chairman Graham Bailie admitted he didn’t fully appreciate the impact of the Seasiders’ promotion back to the top flight of senior football until he witnessed the joy on the faces of supporters last month.
As recently as 2016, financial difficulties saw the club drop into the Intermediate ranks for the first time in their history. A new Board of Directors, headed by Bailie, was installed and Bangor’s steady rebuild culminated in them clinching the NIFL Championship title in April.
Now the club is preparing for a return to the Premiership and the Spectator sat down with the chairman to reflect back and look towards the path which lies ahead.
“I think the main takeaway from a Board perspective is a level of satisfaction,” said Bailie. “Without looking back too far, it has been a steep uphill journey for the club in a pretty short space of time.
“We feel that we’ve accomplished the ambition of the Board that took over the club in 2017, and that was to get the club back into Premiership football.
“With a sharp intake of breath, we know chapter two is going to be equally as tough, but exciting at the same time. We reckon that the gap between the Championship and the Premiership could almost be bigger than the gap between the Ballymena League and the Championship,” he suggested.
“There has been a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat and a lot of tears from a lot of people and we feel that we’ve been able to give the city a sense of pride again in their football team.
“The local community has really bought into it and we are really grateful for that. On trophy presentation day, you saw how much it meant to so many people and I probably wasn’t aware of that.
“You’re so ingrained in the day-to-day nuts and bolts of the club that you don’t actually realise the impact that it has on so many people.”
Last season was one that will live long in the memory for Bangor fans. Asked if he could select his highlight, Bailie replied: “When you look at moments in isolation, bringing Glentoran down here in an Irish Cup quarter-final was a very special night.
“For the players to deliver on the pitch and the fans to deliver off it, it was almost like a perfect recipe and I suppose it just highlighted the potential that we have as a football club.”
With around half of the top flight now operating full-time environments, Bailie is under no illusions as to the task which faces the Seasiders. He hopes that they can follow the examples set by other part-time Premiership clubs like Dungannon Swifts and Portadown.
“We look to the likes of Dungannon and what their blueprint has been – their youth development is second to none. Our Academy has been in place for a few years but it probably becomes more important now, because effectively we feel that we can meet the ambitions of local players by having Premiership football in Bangor.
“So there is holding on to the local talent that we have, but secondly looking at the quality that clubs like Portadown have brought in, in order to maintain that standard.
“We’re very aware of what will be needed but it’s just as much about off the pitch as on it,” he continued. “We’re going to need buy-in from our supporters and local businesses, who we hope will be able to see the value that a high-flying Bangor can have for the local economy. Can they benefit from there being an extra 1,500 people in the town on a Saturday?
“It’s the first time in 16 years we have been in the Premiership, but this isn’t about one season. It’s about creating a sustainable model and we want to be back at the top table with our feet well and truly under that table.”
At the end of any season for a successful team, keeping the nucleus of that squad together can present a challenge. Bailie feels that Bangor are well placed in that regard.
“The high majority of our squad are under contract. We have tried to create an environment that people want to be part of, we have a group of lads who have experienced different environments at different clubs, so we try to put an emphasis on doing everything off the pitch to make sure the players and their families are as content as possible.
“That hopefully will then lower the distraction if someone else comes calling.”
Meanwhile, work continues on the development of Clandeboye Park with plans in motion for a new spectator grandstand and community hub. Bailie spoke about the club’s ambitions but accepted that improvements aren’t going to happen overnight.
“The fans’ match day experience is really important to us,” he said. “We will make best use of our current facilities and spend the money in the right way so that we can improve things.
“In terms of the greater development of the ground, like every other club we are at the hands of the NI Football Fund. In order for us to make the massive difference that we want, we aren’t able to fulfil that without the release of that money.
“We are no different to any other club in that regard, but the medium to long term goal is around the development of the new stand and community hub facilities. For me, that could be a real game-changer for our local area because there aren’t really any other community spots in the Clandeboye area.
“In the short-term we’ll continue to make the small changes step by step.”
