Reverend & The Makers frontman Jon McClure has become chairman of the world’s oldest club Sheffield FC, now he’s after Eric Cantona to join his ranks. He’s also hoping his pal Elton John will offer a few tips on how to run a football club and believes celebrities taking over footie is positive.
Rock star Jon McClure has just become chairman on the world’s oldest club and now he wants to sign a golden oldie as his first player, Eric Cantona.
The frontman of local indie heroes Reverend And The Makers, who’ve troubled the charts with hits like Heavyweight Champion Of The World, recently bought a stake in historic club Sheffield FC. Currently in the ninth tier of English football, they’re one of only two clubs alongside Real Madrid to receive the FIFA Order of Merit and responsible for so-called ‘Sheffield rules’ considered to be the blueprint for the laws of football as we know it today.
Now Jon reckons the club deserves a legend on the pitch to join him: “I would really love Eric Cantona to join. Because he’s gone the other way – he was a footballer who became a musician, he went from football into music. So I think me and Eric we’ve both been in both similar lanes. We’ve got a lot to talk about, we share similar politics. So be nice to have a natter to Eric.”
The world of football and music are intrinsically linked, so despite having no previous experience Jon feels well equipped to take over.
“That’s the thing when you’re a musician you’re a storyteller,” he told the Daily Star. “And our job here is to tell a story because even some people within Sheffield don’t know that it’s the world’s first football club and that we essentially invented the modern game.
“So our job is to bang the drum loud enough until everybody hears it and then hopefully try and monetise it in a way that provides benefit to the club and to the city. And to that end we want to do a world class Esports team (video game), we want to have a national football festival here in the city, an apparel brand, a TV show, visitor centre. There’s so much we can do.”
He’s clearly got big aspirations but Jon’s already looked under the hood of the club to see what changes can be made straight away.
“It’s about coming in and providing some structure,” he explained. “But also there’s just a bunch of stuff you can do early doors like we’ve announced that under 16s can come to the matches for free because one of the jobs here is community building.”
That community are over the moon to have a star like Jon on board, and even rival clubs have leant their support. “It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Jon gushed. “The people in the city of Sheffield care deeply about Sheffield FC because it’s such an important institution as the world’s first football club.
“Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, was waxing lyrical about me and the club, which is lovely because I’m a Sheffield Wednesday fan! And there is a thing here where everybody in Sheffield is Wednesday or United, but Sheffield FC can be everyone’s second club in the city and in the country, and in the world really because if you’re into football in some way you have to be a Sheffield FC fan I think.”
Premier League football might be a pipe dream, but top flight football could be a reality for Sheffield FC’s women’s team “We totally want to give the women’s team every chance really,” he enthused. “There’s probably a limit to what you can achieve for a men’s team in some regard because of the existence of Sheffield Wednesday and United whereas on the women’s team it’s a bit more open and we want to push them all the way be nice to see him going to WPL.”
Alongside pals Arctic Monkeys, Reverend & The Makers have been flying the flag for Sheffield music for two decades, and Jon wants locals to feel a greater sense of pride in their heritage.
“Sheffield punches way above its weight culturally, but then doesn’t shout about it. Robin Hood’s from Sheffield but we allowed Nottingham to take him. We invented British electronic music and sort of don’t shout about that. We invented the game of football, beloved by billions – don’t shout about that, we are the home of snooker and nobody seems to know about it. And I think it’s about time we had a bit of a sea change and started to communicate that we’re every bit as good as Manchester and London and Liverpool and Birmingham and Glasgow.”
Of course Jon isn’t the first celebrity to take ownership of a club. Earlier this month influencer KSI joined the board of Dagenham & Redbridge, Snoop Dogg is involved with Swansea City and Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has transformed Wrexham into must-watch television.
“I’m not as famous as them,” he chuckled. “I think if these celebrities provide uplift for communities, I’m all for it. I mean, look at what they’ve done for the town of Wrexham. I’m pleased for everybody concerned ,and if KSI can do the same for Dagenham, good on him.
“People say ‘why are entertainers buying football clubs?’ But I’m like what ‘as opposed to what?’ Newspaper owners or industrialists? Good luck to them. When Snoop were down at Swansea it were a full house, they were all going nuts. Fantastic!”
Perhaps the most famous celebrity chairman was Elton John who oversaw Watford during a magical 1980s spell. Has the Rocket Man offered Jon any advice yet?
“Not as yet, but if you are reading Elton – he’s played me in records before on his radio show – the door’s open to you. “We would love to receive you here at Sheffield FC and benefit from both your musical knowledge and football chairman knowledge.”
Jon’s one of the best connected people in music. with the numbers of fellow Sheffield heroes from Alex Turner and Jarvis Cocker in his phone…will he get any of them involved?
“Yeah, I’m going to have a word and see if there’s something we can do whether that’s sponsoring the shirt or Ed Sheeran is a bit of a pal mine and he obviously has an association with Ipswich so I’m like, ‘come on Ed let’s have a friendly’, it’s adds a bit of Razzmatazz.”
Whatever he does Jon will have the club’s best interest at heart, he’s in it for the long game. “It’s about doing something that’s good,” he said of his impact. “I’m an artist and I don’t want to do something that’s cheap or rubbish or, tarnishes the name of the club because we invented football. We can’t suddenly make it into this tacky thing.
“If there’s a TV show and it’s going to provide money for the community and for the club and for us and it’s going to put the history and the story on the map, then let’s get it on.”
New Reverend & The Makers album, Is This How Happiness Feels? featuring Robbie Williams lands in May, and who knows maybe the band will perform it live at Sheffield FC’s Coach and Horses Ground one day.
“That could happen,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. “There is a plan to move stadiums so maybe when we move to a new stadium it might be more appropriate. It would be nice to run the colours a bit and benefit everyone concerned.”
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