26/08/2025
😡😡😡😡😰😰😰😰
Yesterday should have been a proud day for us. Our new corporate coach made its very first journey, transporting King's Lynn Town Football Club up to Chorley Football Club. A lot of hard work, care, and investment went into preparing that vehicle - it represents our family’s dedication to doing this job properly.
Sadly, after the game yesterday afternoon, that pride turned into upset. A small group of young Chorley “supporters” decided to attack our coach by pelting it with rocks and stones. They shattered a rear window, which means our new vehicle is now off the road until costly repairs are made.
We want to be clear; we know this behaviour does not represent Chorley supporters as a whole. The majority of fans up and down the country follow their clubs with passion and respect. But it only takes a handful to cause damage, fear, and unnecessary cost to small businesses like ours.
We are a family-run business, and behind every coach is not just steel and glass - it’s years of graft, late nights, and people whom genuinely care about what they do. Generations of love, pride, and dedication have gone into building what we have today. To see that disrespected in such a mindless way is deeply disheartening.
Yes, we have insurance, but this doesn’t take away the emotional toll. It doesn’t take away the worry for the driver at the time of the incident. It doesn’t take away the stress of rearranging workloads. And it certainly doesn’t take away the sadness of seeing something we’ve worked so hard for damaged needlessly. On top of that, there were additional costs involved in arranging a replacement vehicle and driver at short notice on a Bank Holiday to ensure the players could still travel home safely - another burden unfairly placed on us as a result of this senseless behaviour.
This was not just about damage to a coach, it could have caused serious injury to the players or our driver. No one should feel unsafe simply for travelling home after a football match.
There is a saying in football that the “team parked the bus” - but our coaches aren’t part of the match. If you’re angry about the result, taking it out on us achieves nothing. Please remember: it’s not clubs or players you hurt, but ordinary families and small businesses trying to do their job.
We’re also concerned at the lack of security outside the stadium and will be raising this with the relevant authorities. Thankfully, our vehicles are fitted with CCTV, and we will be working closely with the police and the football authorities to ensure those responsible are held accountable. We also urge host clubs everywhere to recognise their responsibility in making sure visiting teams and their transport are properly protected.
Football should bring people together. Rivalries belong on the pitch, not in car parks, not on vehicles, and never against the people just doing their jobs.
We’ll get the coach repaired and back on the road as soon as possible, but this is a reminder of the challenges family businesses face in this industry.
💔 This needs to stop.
Finally, we want to thank those who have already reached out with kind words and support. It really does mean a lot in times like these. It reminds us that for every few who behave this way, there are so many more good people who value and respect what we do❤️
