A new documentary from Sky will revisit the intense ownership conflict that defined Blackpool FC for years. The film, titled 'Don’t F*** With Fans', focuses on the bitter dispute between the club's supporters and the Oyston family, who were ultimately forced to sell the club.
Sky announced the one-off feature this week. It is produced by South Shore Productions and directed by three-time BAFTA winner James Newton. The documentary includes interviews with former chairman Karl Oyston, his father Owen Oyston, former manager Ian Holloway, former players, and supporters. It charts the family's control of the club from the lower reaches of the football league through to the Premier League in 2010 under Holloway.
Relations fractured over the use of the club's riches, including a reported £90 million windfall from that top-flight season. Supporters launched a significant protest movement involving boycotts and other tactics, leading to a public and costly confrontation. The club subsequently slipped back down the football pyramid.
Hayley Reynolds, head of documentary commissioning at Sky, said the team was thrilled to bring this British story to screen. Reynolds stated the film goes far beyond football, weaving together family drama, community spirit and a public battle over club ownership that remains relevant. The documentary allows those at the heart of the dispute to tell their side of an extraordinary chapter in Blackpool’s history.
The story's relevance is showed by the club's current position, sitting 19th in League One with 12 points from 12 games, a record of three wins and three draws against six defeats. They have scored 17 goals but conceded 21, leaving them with a goal difference of minus four and a significant 17 points behind the league leaders. Their recent form has been mixed, with two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five outings, a sequence that includes a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend where Jerry Yates scored a late equaliser.
'Don’t F*** With Fans' will debut on Sky Documentaries and the streaming service NOW on 21 November. Blackpool's attention now turns to the pitch and an away fixture against AFC Wimbledon on 14 November, a match against a side sitting one place above them in the standings.
More detail at prolificnorth.co.uk
