What do you do when the football club you have supported your entire life is suddenly at risk of disappearing? When Torquay United entered administration in 2024, the 125-year-old club was losing around £1.1m a year on revenues of £1.8m. The playing budget had become unsustainable. Commercial revenues were underdeveloped. And the new ownership group effectively had 10 days to complete a deal, prove they could fund the business and protect the club’s place in the football pyramid. But Michael Westcott & Mark Richard Bowes-Cavanagh weren’t buying it for themselves. 🗣️ “We’re only custodians of this football club. It’s got 125 years of heritage, so we’ve got to make sure this football club is here for another 125 years.” That mindset has shaped almost every decision since. The playing budget, once around 70–80% of turnover, has been brought closer to 35–45%. Sponsorship has more than doubled. Revenues have grown from roughly £1.8m to £2.8m. Attendances are at 50-year highs despite Torquay playing at their lowest-ever level in the pyramid. And perhaps most importantly, trust has returned. Supporters are involved. Communication is open. The supporters’ trust has a stake in the club. Young families are coming through the gates. Hundreds of children are now wearing Torquay shirts through a rebuilt youth structure. But football makes discipline difficult. Every manager wants another player. Every supporter wants promotion. And every owner knows that spending a little more might just be the difference between winning on Saturday and missing out again. Michael and Mark have already come painfully close twice. Their challenge now is to keep pushing without gambling the club’s future to get there. Because the ambition hasn’t changed. They want Torquay United back in the EFL. They just refuse to sell 125 years of heritage to achieve it. A brilliant insight into what football ownership really looks like away from the top of the pyramid, where good business decisions can be every bit as important as good football ones. All on Business of Sport 🔥 (links in comments) @TUFC1899