Steve Adamson's interview with Scarborough Athletic chairman Trevor Bull - Part 1

Q – How is your recovery going, and how are you coping, being unable to attend matches?

A – Thanks for asking, my recovery is going well, although I still have a lot of pain at times, and have difficulty sleeping. I’ve only left home four times since the operation, and two of those were to attend funerals, so it’s really frustrating as I hate missing games. Q – You’ve been chairman since March 2017, that’s nine years at the helm, making you the longest serving chairman the club has ever had. How did you become involved, and do you still have the same passion and enthusiasm for the role?

A – I’ve been a Boro supporter all my life, but had no aspirations to join the board. I first became involved when I did some work to help previous chairman Dave Holland bring the club to Scarborough after the ten years in exile in Bridlington.

After the tragic passing of Dave, I received a phone call from Sandra Troughton, asking me to step in and head up the move back to Scarborough. Shortly after I’d started work on that, Nick Finch asked to meet me, and said that following board discussions, they would like me to become chairman.

I gave it some thought, and requested Fred Firman and Andy Crossland also be brought in to assist, given the size of the task ahead. This was agreed, and we all became involved. It’s been hard work at times, but we’ve had lots of success along the way, as well as many headaches, but the enthusiasm is still there, and I love my involvement.

Eventually someone younger will take over, but for now, the work continues to bring further success to our wonderful club.

Q – You, vice-chairman Fred Firman and some of the other directors like to stand on the terraces at many away games. Do you enjoy mixing with fellow supporters, and do you listen to their views and feedback during games?

A – We are all fans, so yes, we enjoying mixing with the crowd during games. We can’t do this at home matches as we have duties to perform, like hospitality and entertaining sponsors, league officials and visiting directors. The fans own our club, so we are always happy to mix and chats with fellow supporters. Q – The pitch problems at Scarborough Sports Village came as a massive blow to the club. How grateful are you to Bridlington Town FC regarding the ground-share agreement, and were any other options considered?

A – Our first priority was to try to keep the club in Scarborough. We did meet with Scarborough Cricket Club, who were very keen to help, but it quickly became clear that too much work would be needed to adhere to National League North ground requirements, not least the election of floodlights and that would have been a long process.

We also spoke to Scarborough Rugby Club, but that wasn’t possible, and they are celebrating their Centenary year, so naturally that is their focus. Discussions with Whitby Town didn’t go very far, so we were happy to accept Bridlington Town’s ground-share offer, which is mutually beneficial to both clubs. Q – How much money did the club have to spend to bring Bridlington’s ground up to National League North standard?

A – We received a huge amount of help and advice from the National League board, who were very supportive of our efforts to find a temporary home for this season. Local MP Alison Hulme was also a great help in obtaining funding from the Football Foundation, and North Yorkshire Council were absolutely brilliant, even though we were looking for funding for a project in East Yorkshire, outside their area.

Mick Davidson and other volunteers came in to help put everything into place, and many hours were spent making sure we were ready to start the season in Bridlington. We even brought new turnstiles from abroad, and the works were finally finished on the day of the ground inspection ! All the improvements were carried out at absolutely no cost to the club.

Q – We knew that attendances and matchday revenue would be down this season, but have you been shocked at how big a drop there has been in attendances at Bridlington this season?

A – Yes we have experienced a huge drop in revenue from home matches, but I understand how difficult it is for some people to get through to Bridlington, and the extra time and cost involved. We are just so grateful for all the loyal supporters, volunteers and sponsors who have continued to back the club. Q – Despite the big drop in crowds, you must be delighted to see the large numbers of young supporters attending games and making lots of noise with their drum and singing, to support the team?

A – Yes, it’s brilliant to see and hear the youngsters at games, they are the future of the club. That’s how I started out many years ago, and we can’t wait to get back to Scarborough to build up our crowds again. Q – Now that work has started at the Sports Village, do you have a timeline of how the work will progress, and is there a guarantee that the club will be back home in Scarborough next season?

A – Phase 2 is now underway and is expected to last eight weeks, so should be completed by the end of May. Then the new, upgraded pitch will be laid ready for the new season.

We are very hopeful that we will be able to play some home pre-season friendlies, to bring in some much needed extra revenue, ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Read Part 2 of this exclusive interview in next week’s Scarborough News