A football club museum that holds hundreds of years of sporting history and heritage has admitted that it will have to “beg, steal, and borrow” to secure its future or face the prospect of a devastating closure.
In November 2021, excitement built in Bishop Auckland after memorabilia museum and football archives ‘The Bishops’ opened in the town’s Newgate Street – with hundreds attending the unveiling of the ‘unique’ and ‘vital’ facility.
However, fast forward ten months, and the venue is now facing the real concern of facing certain closure after rent costs, rising energy costs, and low footfall have all factored in the dangerous situation for The Bishops.
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Despite housing historical fixture programmes, pendants, scarfs, plaques, and trophies from the history of Bishop Auckland FC, alongside other County Durham footballing sides that no longer exist, this hasn’t made the store invincible from the cost-of-living crisis.
As well as delving further into the rich history of the club, the store also features a modern club shop, ticket stubs of classic amateur games of years gone by and newspaper clippings of reports and news items dating back to the 1800s.
The idea for ‘The Bishops’ came from the current chairman and former player of Bishop Auckland FC, Steve Coulthard, who created the historical archives in just under three months.
Steve only played for Bishop Auckland from 1972-1974 but has always had a special place in his heart for his beloved team, and now flies the flag for the club wherever they go.
Although he spoke positively about how The Bishops could help with the continued transformation of Bishop Auckland in November 2021, he is now more concerned about the future of both the museum and the town.
After not having to pay rent on the facility for a year, The Bishops will have to start paying a reduced rent as of November 2022 – but that means that an extra £500 per month will have to be found from the club to keep the shop running, due to energy and other fees.
Speaking to The Northern Echo, Mr Coulthard said: “Everything is all up in the air at the moment. I can’t see how we can make ends meet. We’ve had to beg, steal, and borrow over the last few months to get things together – and now I’m not sure about the future of The Bishops.
“The shop has a full history of the club, and it’s an institution of the town. Not many know that Bishop Auckland was one of the only clubs to help Manchester United with players after the Munich Air Disaster.
“Without The Bishops, facts and stats like this would be lost and future generations wouldn’t gain an insight into the heyday and golden years of this wonderful football club.”
With the next few months uncertain for The Bishops, Mr Coulthard has pinpointed the lack of market in Bishop Auckland as the ‘missing piece’ for the town and one that is leading to increasing shop closures.
He added: “Bishop Auckland needs some form of focal point – it needs the market right there, which leads to footfall.
“It’s all well and good having a long-term vision, but shops and struggling retailers might not be here in the long term if they’re not supported now.
“We don’t get grants because we aren’t a registered museum – we rely on volunteers and need donations to survive.
“The Bishops is a place for the people – but needs people to support it.”
If you can help The Bishops, Steve has asked people to contact him at steve.coulthard@bishopafc.com.
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