BT Sport’s award-winning Films series is set to examine how fans hold the key to football’s future with its latest production ‘Ours’. The new documentary is set to debut on Tuesday 2 March on BT Sport 1 at 10.30pm.
Something has been missing from football over the last 12 months. Artificial crowd noise and a screen separating the game from who it has always been for has left the game feeling empty. It’s a problem that has been magnified in the lower leagues, where TV coverage is even harder to come by. Gone is the raw emotion, pure passion and essence of what football is all about. ‘Ours’, the latest documentary from BT Sport films, examines how fans hold the key to football’s future; it speaks to, and speaks up for, football supporters. How will they help to shape the future of a game undergoing an existential crisis?
Written and narrated by award-winning journalist Michael Calvin, 'Ours' offers a unique insight into modern football, away from the glitz, glamour and financial strength of the Premier League. It asks searching questions about identity and belonging, and finds hope in clubs that are run by, or heavily influenced by, their fans.
'Ours' provides an in-depth examination of a variety of ownership models, and outlines the emotional bond between supporters and a variety of clubs, including:
- Bury AFC: the most recent example of how fans rebuilt a club from the ground up.
- AFC Wimbledon: the quintessential fan-run model and of what can be achieved by a group of determined fans.
- Portsmouth: run into the ground by a series of questionable owners, the fans stepped in and saved the club from the brink of extinction.
- AFC Rushden and Diamonds: how does a phoenix club deal with the constraints of the current pandemic?
- Ebbsfleet: how can a club survive when it is the victim of an ill-fated experiment with fan ownership?
- Lewes FC: a look at how community-run football can serve as a force for social change and unite a local community.
- Hashtag United and The Sidemen: what does the next generation of football fan look like?
Featuring contributions from fans, players and owners from up and down the footballing pyramid, the film marks the third collaboration between BT Sport Films and Calvin, with each film looking at the broader, more human impacts of the sport.
Sally Brown, Executive Producer of BT Sport Films, said: “The last 12 months have brought the importance of fans to the fore, the pandemic re-emphasising the role that their passion plays both in and away from the stadium. A strikingly relevant piece of work, Ours confronts the flaws of the modern game and celebrates those that help make it a reality.”
Customers can watch Ours in more ways than ever before, on TV, online or via the BT Sport App, with customers also able to sign up contract free with the BT Sport Monthly Pass. For more information on BT Sport visit bt.com/sport
