LOOKING BACK
By Rob Kelly
In this feature we delve into our archives to revisit some of the stories we have shared over the past two decades
YEARS 5 THE PACE OF CHANGE
AT TURF MOOR July/August 2021
Our cover star for this edition was new Burnley FC chairman Alan Pace, outlining his ambitions for the Clarets.
The former Wall Street veteran wanted to take a hi-tech and digital approach to the club’s marketing offering, giving fans the chance to be part of a community.
He likened a modern football club to a media business, with a myriad of stories to tell a worldwide audience. Connectivity was key to the ethos, with Alan highlighting how differently young, digitally native people follow and watch sport.
He said: “It’s the ability to provide anyone, anywhere, the opportunity to interact with stories and events: the passions and feelings that come from these particular moments.”
Alan’s CV includes overseeing multibillion- dollar divisions, as well as 10 years in sports management after starting his career with Lehman Brothers.
He also talked about his plans for the future. “Are there things that could be improved? Yes. But it’s like having a house that needs a lick of paint, you don’t tear it down and rebuild elsewhere,” he added.
Five years on, few could argue that Alan has not raised the profile of the club, including through the 2023 behind-the-scenes Mission to Burnley documentary charting the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
The Clarets signed up with
ADI.tv to improve the players’ arrival area and entrance tunnel, while also creating a new corner screen at Turf Moor.
On the pitch, it has been a rollercoaster ride, with three relegations from the top flight and two promotion campaigns since 2021.
YOUNG ‘UN OLIVER FOLLOWS
FAMILY TIES July/August 2016
Oliver Brown was the latest face to feature in our Young ’Uns series highlighting emerging business talent in the county.
The then 28-year-old talked about the day-to-day running of Crow Wood Leisure and his business journey, from working in residential property sales to being hit by the stock market crash.
He described his dad Andy as ‘a big influence’ on his life after being offered the chance to join the family business.
Oliver said: “The aim is to consolidate what we have. We’re right at the premium end of the market but we’re still managing to grow.
“The last piece of the jigsaw for this site would be a hotel. We have to turn business away daily, we can’t do weddings, corporate deals or functions and the hotel will help us to accommodate all of that.”
Things have moved forward at the venue in the past decade and Oliver returned to our pages as cover star in the September/October 2024 edition.
The 36-year-old was preparing for the £16m extension of the spa at Crow Wood Hotel and Spa Resort.
He said Crow Wood is “a great place to work and it’s all about delivering experiences for people”.
10 YEARS MD STILL GETS
ON HIS BIKE July/August 2006
In a profile feature, Ian Wilson, managing director of Simonstone- based Fort Vale Engineering, spoke about his passion for cycling and the outdoors.
As a teenager in Nelson, Ian was a keen cyclist who enjoyed travelling to scenic locations and, by his forties, was regularly cycling between 30 and 40 miles a week before increasing that to around 100 miles.
He took part in an amateur race that followed sections of the Tour de France route and also competed in the Cape Argus race in Cape Town, South Africa.
He said: “Fort Vale has a base in South Africa and whenever I went over customers who knew I enjoyed cycling asked why I didn’t take part in the race.
“The course was relatively short in cycling terms, at 107km, but the atmosphere was like that of the London Marathon, with huge crowds, barbecues and live bands.”
Ian joined Fort Vale in 1978 after being headhunted for the position of general manager while working in London.
Health and wellbeing were very important to Ian and Fort Vale founder Ted Fort, who died earlier this year, and together they created a sports facility at the company’s headquarters to help staff stay active and fit. Ian still cycles today.
Fort Vale is a world leader in the design and manufacture of valves and fittings for the transportable tank industry.
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