After spells running Swindon Town and Worcester Warriors rugby club, Jed McCrory admits he fell out of love with sport.
But the “emotional” urge to aid his stricken local football club Stratford was too strong when the Bards were just six weeks away from administration in 2019.
The subsequent rollercoaster ride with the part-time Southern League Premier Central side has rekindled McCrory’s love affair with sport.
The town, where William Shakespeare was famously from, is now in the spotlight for football.
League One Shrewsbury were the visitors on Sunday in the FA Cup first round live on ITV 4, which has earned the hosts £50,000.
It is the biggest tie in their history with the 2,800 tickets for their maiden first round appearance selling out in two hours.
For ex-Swindon and Worcester chief McCrory, it is a sweet moment after the trials and tribulations of professional sport.
McCrory said before the 5-1 defeat to the Shrews: “It has been incredible.
“Our online ticket seller told us we could have sold over 8,000 for this game such was the interest in the district.
“It has definitely caught the imagination of the community.
“Stratford is well known for Shakespeare but it has brought football to the town.
“We want to put on our own version of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.
“This tie has given people the ability to dare to dream about the football club.
“Knowing what it means to the club and all the volunteers, it is closer to me than any other achievement in sport.
“It was an emotional decision to get involved.
“On the back of a handshake to help, I agreed to do it because it was my local club.
“It has been very different to League One football or Premiership rugby because your input can make a huge difference on the community.
“A couple of times I fell out love with sport and the social media side of it, where it can be difficult.
“But this level really does grab you.
“I could have retired and played golf.
“But it is great fun and you have to work out how to do things differently.
“I have invested my money and hopefully my skill-set has helped as we have rebranded and re-marketed the club.
“We are happy to be involved in 5-3 games as we try to play football the right way and entertain our fans.”
McCrory rose to prominence when he headed a consortium that took over Swindon Town in February 2013.
But it ended in an acrimonious boardroom battle in the High Court in 2015.
He then led a consortium that took control of the loss-making Worcester Warriors in 2018 before leaving just eight-and-a-half-months later.
But his ties to Stratford run deep as McCrory lives locally with Lisa, his wife of 15 years, and his five-year-old son Max even plays for the juniors.
He added: “Over the last three years there has been a build up of support because it is more than a football club.
“It has rugby, table tennis, girls’ archery and we run an education programme for kids.
“We probably have a footfall of 1200 people a week coming through.
“It has become a real community hub.
“It has been a remarkable turnaround and it is the FA Cup that makes you stop and realise that.
“Now the money from the Cup run can help us invest in facilities to engage more with the community.”
Town, who were formed in 1946, have a side made up of players including plasterers and bricklayers who McCrory says “are not greedy lads”.
He promised to fund a memorable end of season trip if they had reached the second round.
“If they beat Shrewsbury we will pay for them to go to Ibiza.”
