When football clubs make new signings, fans tend to sit up and take notice. These people could be the club’s next top goal scorer, a brick wall in defence, or a creative dynamo in midfield.
But what if those new signings were artists?
In what is – as far as I know – an unprecedented arrangement, Wester League Premier Division team, Brislington FC, have chosen a pair of creatives as the latest additions to their roster.
Jonathan Kelham is an artist and educator, while Ken Borg is a graphic designer.
These chaps aren’t going to be lining up with the players though. They have committed to a 3 year Designer and Artist in Residence arrangement with Brislington, during which they will be developing several projects across Ironmould Lane to improve the match day experience, develop a unified graphic identity, and generally promote the club.
The partnership is called Briz x Borg x Kelham, and I spoke to the guys to find out exactly what this innovative idea is all about.
This is a unique arrangement. How did you come up with the idea and how did you approach the club about it?
Jonathan: I’m a big fan of the residency approach, it allows you time and space to respond to the location in which you are situated, its community, conversations and aesthetics, without the pressure of predetermined outcomes.
I guess usually, residencies are located in the art/design world; galleries, studios, retreats or educational institutions, but this one is located on the edge of Bristol in a Western Premier Division Football Club.
In 2022 I was undertaking a West Of England Visual Artist Alliance funded residency in the neighbouring inner city parish of St. Anne’s at a new Community Hub St. Anne’s House. This project also interwove football and art, examining the lack of football in St. Anne’s and speculating on the existence of a future club for the community.
One of the first people through the door was graphic designer & one half of Studio Mothership; Ken Borg. Whilst I was embellishing a foosball table he casually asked if I had been down to the home of Brislington F.C., and eventually we walked down to see the ‘Bath Road’ Derby against Keynsham Town, under the lights.
As soon as we got to the ground, I think we both just started to see loads of potential with the set up, but also loads of things that we could use our expertise to help the club out with; especially in relationship to the visuals and graphic identity. Across other visits to Ironmould Lane, we discussed hundreds of ideas.
In Summer 2023, I was able to access some funding via Bath Spa University, to test one of those ideas; I approached Briz and asked to install a series of flagworks covering the far end. I don’t think the club really knew why I wanted to do this, but they thankfully agreed, and the success of this allowed us to approach the Chairman Jack Rogers and get our foot through the turnstile.
Ken: As for me, increasingly my work has gravitated towards design projects that can help activate communities and places. I love dreaming up potential scenarios of how organisations, communities or places that have been historically underserved can be elevated, and genuinely believe design can be a great vehicle for doing just that as it touches so many aspects of everyday life. I think it only took Jonathan and I 15 minutes at the first game at Ironmould Lane to realise the potential at the club. The more we visited and got to know the people the more we realised that the people at the club were passionate, and the challenges that the club is presented with are hard but interesting ones to try and solve. Jonathan’s flagworks project was a perfect ignitor to the whole residency discussion. The feedback straight after the flags went up was incredible and only helped fuel our motivation to do more. It’s also a dream scenario to be able to help your local football club!
What are some of the main projects you have started already or will be starting during your residency?
Jonathan: Ken is a whirlwind; and has probably instigated about 12 different projects every day[!], but I think the focus of the residency for now is the refurbishment of the 150 capacity Colin Arnold Grandstand. Like many non-league clubs, financial challenges mean that foremost the club focuses on day-to-day running costs, subsequently the ground itself has seen little investment. The breezeblock and iron clad stand has not been altered since its construction decades ago, but through kind support from Proper Job Ltd.TM & Wickes Community Fund.TM we are investing in improvements, whilst also building a strong visual aesthetic, which we hope to iterate throughout the ground.
Alongside this Ken has begun a number of other initiative which will support the emerging graphic identity and sense of visibility of the club in the local community; improving the social media presence, creating content via matchday documentation, supporter engagement via Player of the Month polls and a limited edition print of the Colin Arnold Grandstand which you can purchase here > https://brislingtonfc.net/residency-project
Ken: The key element for me is expanding the community and fan base. If we build a bigger community around the club, then the challenges the club faces become easier to tackle. We live in a big suburb of the city that historically has been underserved for many reasons. In the last few years the area has seen a big influx of new residents as the city expands. One of the key elements of being happy in your local environment is the feeling of belonging or being part of something. With many new residents in the area there is a big drive for community groups, it feels like it is the right time to put the local football club at the centre of the local community and appeal to a wider football fan base. Football clubs are not just a sports club but can serve as a social club, where you can meet people from all walks of life and different points of view. A place where people want to be, to meet old friends and make new ones, learn new skills and share theirs. I would love it if by the end of this residency we would have helped develop a richer football culture in Brislington and a stronger community around the club.
Do you and Ken work on everything together, or do you have designated roles and responsibilities as part of the residency?
Jonathan: Great question, it’s early days in the first season of the 3-season residency, so I expect that the responsibilities and roles will shift depending on the project and our skill sets. As the professional designer, Ken is much more astute and knowledgeable on those processes and applications. And I am willing to try and apologise later!
We definitely discuss everything together, there are A LOT of working things out on WhatsApp and so far, we are meeting up once a week at IML to work on the Grandstand together. But there are also elements that we are taking individual lead on, instigating and implementing; such as funding writing or designing sponsorship communication.
Ken: It’s not the first time I dream up an idea and wake up at 5am to send Jonathan a text, only to find he’s beat me to it. Jonathan is great at applying for funding streams and reaching out to contacts and much better than me at organising the right framework for each project. I have less family commitments than Jonathan which means I can make more time to be present at the club engaging with people in person and learning how the club operates, so I think some of the roles have happened organically. We are both experienced in our field of work but applying it to this scenario is new so a bit of learning will happen for sure. We’re both very practical I would say so working days at the club are easy to manage and a lot of fun, we both agree I am the better painter so luckily arguments are easily avoided!
You mentioned contacting local businesses. What could they offer and how do you want them to get involved?
Jonathan: We are keen to support and be supported by the community of Brislington, which has over 25,000 residences. We hope that the residency and the projects that we are developing as part of it can invite local businesses to support the club in kind or with sponsorship.
In 2021, the reconfigured Western Premier Division, meant the club was faced with away games including 256-mile round trips to Helston and Mousehole. The financial strain resulted in a self-relegation to lessen this geographical burden, which ultimately saved the club from folding. The Foxes are definitely in a more sustainable position upon its return to the Western Premier, however any support the businesses of BS4 can offer has genuine impact upon the clubs ambition and momentum.
As part of the residency, we are re-branding the sponsorship opportunities, as well as physically installing the pitch side structure to facilitate hoarding, alongside kits, stadium, matchday and player sponsorship. Genuinely every investment in the club is so important and will then support further self-sustaining initiatives, so the club can be confident of its future.
Ken: We really need everyone in the community to get on board. Football is one of the most followed sports in the UK so it is without a doubt that there are untapped streams of funding from locally based businesses and business owners that both love the game and also their local community. We just need to connect the dots. There is a potential to be part of an exciting project here and the possibility of investing in local people. We want to appeal to bigger businesses that might have a national reach but are also based in BS4, and thus have a connection to the area. We would love for them to show their support to the area they have based themselves in, whether that is much needed sponsorships or in kind donations of materials and supplies the club needs to make improvements. We also want to appeal to smaller local businesses that are proud to be from Brislington. These small businesses might not be as cash rich as national brands to support the club financially but their skill sets or logistical support could help the club immeasurably. Ultimately at this level it goes back to community and sense of ownership. This is a community club, everyone can be part of it and every one’s contribution is key.
You’ve said Briz x Borg x Kelham is all about projecting the club into a new era. What are your specific aims? What will success look like to you?
Jonathan: Together with the club we have collaborated on some agreed intentions and aims:
Aims
- Promote awareness of Brislington F.C. across BS4 & South Bristol.
- Increase attendances and subsequently atmosphere.
- Improve club / ground aesthetics; creating a single graphic identity.
- Increase local support.
Objectives
- Design and deliver initiatives which will engage with local residence, industry and community.
- Design, repurpose & install multiple visual improvements across Ironmould Lane.
- Identify suitable and targeted investment streams across football, sport, community and art/design sectors; in both sponsorship & funding.
I think in its sustained voluntary capacity, just r being able to keep this going will be brilliant!
Overall the major success will be if Ken & myself feel like we have been able to purposefully support the club with our specialist professional knowledge; hopefully contributing to a self-sustaining and efficient football club model.
Plus, it would be great if The Foxes were a Step 3 club by 2027!
Ken: Success would be seeing more people volunteer and feel inspired to take up roles at the club that perhaps are created as a bi-product of some of the projects we will work on. I feel that football at this level can appeal to a much wider audience than simply hard core football fans, and it would be great to see many more people from BS4 and Bristol feel invested in the club because it is a great place to be at, no matter how much they like football or not.
What has the response been like from the fans?
Jonathan: Apprehension, confusion, bemusement, appreciation, encouragement! The ethos and approach to the residency; ‘high impact-low cost’ creates significant visual changes which opens the projects up for quick and immediate responses!
Hopefully from one home game to the next, supporters are seeing the differences around the ground, and we are keen to keep this momentum going throughout the 3 years! What’s also great to see is that it’s instigating others to get on board, now when we arrive at IML members of the committee come to us with their own ideas of what we could do next and how we can elevate the stadium further.
Ken: Yes I think ‘Why?’ was the word on many people’s mouth at first! But the reception has been incredible and not just from fans but also from players and club members. I think the project so far has helped energise older volunteers and encourage younger ones, which is great and something that in return fuels our motivation to keep going and work up new ideas. Everyone is intrigued by this intersection of art and design and football and it feels like everyone is on board with it.
If anyone reading this has ideas of their own regarding their local non-league club, what advice would you offer them?
Jonathan: I think the obvious one is that everything starts with a volunteer. The volunteers at the club are vital to everything. We hope that the project will bring more people into the club who are keen to support their team by selflessly offering whatever skill set they have.
In the early stages of our three season long voluntary designer/artist in residency, it’s clear that without people to facilitate a role or knowledge in a particular area, the club would not be in the position it is. Growing your volunteers is central to solidifying the club and being ambitious about its future.
Also, what I have found out unfortunately, is that sometimes, no matter how many breeze blocks you paint, your painting skills don’t always improve.
Ken: Every club has its own history and its story to tell, so having that local context helps generate ideas that can be easily adopted by the wider club and fanbase. What I am realising in the first months of this project is that people power, particularly volunteer power is key and that getting sponsorship on board is perhaps one of the hardest tasks for clubs at this level. In both cases, telling the story of the club, appealing to both people and sponsors with a convincing case and story is key.
Something I always ask everyone: What attracted you to non-league football for the first time and why do you still go?
Jonathan: Both Ken & I live in Brislington, there is something immediate, tangible and genuine about that ability to walk to your local match. That community ownership is difficult to replicate in the football league, in non-league your contribution has an undisputable impact. There is all the drama, passion and humour, but also that knowledge that everyone; players, volunteers, supporters and officials could be doing something else!
A very long time ago I played in the Northern Counties at grounds like Goole Town, Tadcaster, Bradford Park Av., North Ferriby United etc. Visiting these non- league ground, I was always interested in the functionality, where the low-hi approach always trumps known aesthetic sensibilities but then created these intriguing often ‘shonky’ outcomes. I’m still so enchanted by the make do non-league approach.
As arguably the 5th best football club in Bristol, it is all about the glory with Brislington F.C.
Ken: I’m relatively new to the world of non-league football, but same as Jonathan I have found that it is a facet of football that feels more real and approachable. I love that connection you can easily build with members of a club, fans and even players at this level. To me it’s also about feeling proud of the place I live in and having affordable access locally, within easy reach to a sport that I am so passionate about.
Finally, everyone loves their club, but what is it that makes Brislington FC special to you?
Ken: I might be biased but I would challenge anyone to visit Ironmould Lane and not feel enamoured of both the setup and the club. Briz have a certain ‘never die spirit’ both on and off the pitch that I absolutely love, and is one of the characteristics in sport that I find most fascinating!
Anything I have missed?
Ken: As part of our project we are looking to create a range of new football merch that will hopefully appeal to non-league football fans and collectors further afield. We just launched the first item which is an editioned risograph art print of Ironmould Lane which collectors of prints and football merch can find on the Brislington FC website on the Residency Page.
Bob