The Scottish amateur club Buckie Thistle FC is facing financial difficulties, but it can count on the support of a famous benefactor: the American author Stephen King has supported the club with a generous donation – his involvement is linked to a book.
Stephen King is usually known for his horror stories. However, his latest charitable gesture was anything but scary for the management and supporters of Scottish fifth-tier side Buckie Thistle FC. The 79-year-old has made a donation, the exact amount of which has not been disclosed, but which the club’s interim chairman, Daniel Farquhar, described as a “nice little sum”. In doing so, he is helping the club, which is currently in financial distress.
But what does a star American author have to do with a Scottish amateur football club? The connection stems from one of King’s books: in 2020, his collection of short stories *Bloody News* was published, which includes a story of the same name in which Buckie Thistle features. King stated that he had chosen the club solely because of its amusing name. However, he provided a small financial boost even back then by sending Buckie Thistle two signed copies of “Bloody News”, one of which was auctioned for 900 pounds.
King hopes to inspire further donors
The club has now launched a fundraising campaign to ease its current financial difficulties, and once again King – who is also the proud owner of a Buckie Thistle shirt – was immediately on hand: “It’s fantastic. We got in touch and are really very grateful to Stephen for taking the time to make a donation,” Farquhar told BBC Scotland. Although he did not wish to disclose the exact amount of the donation, he said: “It allows us to carry on. With this, we can cover the players’ wages, running costs and similar expenses.”
In his email to the club, King expressed the hope that his donation would inspire others to support the club financially. Around 55,000 pounds have already been donated over the past six weeks – something Farquhar described as “phenomenal”. In the Scottish Highlands, they consider themselves fortunate to have such generous – and, in King’s case, high-profile – supporters. And so, despite the difficult situation, there is renewed hope for the future at Buckie Thistle – a provisional ending to the story that Stephen King would certainly have appreciated.
