Newport County AFC, who take on Manchester United in the FA Cup this weekend, would not exist today had it not been for one man, David Hando, and his fight for justice. When Newport County went bust in 1989, Hando led a six-year campaign to get his team back into the Football League. He fought against the establishment and injustice all the way to the High Court, and without him the club would have simply died, according to his son, Julian.
The Welsh FA wanted Newport AFC to play in the Welsh league system, but if they had followed this course, they would not be hosting Manchester United – one of the world’s biggest clubs – in front of a sell-out crowd on Sunday. Instead, the club would have remained in exile, playing in the Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds in England.
In 1989, Newport was exiled to play home Federated Homes League Premier Division games in England, 80 miles away from the town they were representing. Hando bought balls, flags and paid for the players’ coach just to keep the club going, as legal battles continued. His real challenge began when the Welsh FA imposed an exile on the club, an “unlawful and unreasonable restraint of trade”, according to Mr Justice Blackburn, after a three-week hearing.
After Newport led the High Court action against the FAW in a historic legal move, Hando had helped buy the trademark of the old club’s name when it went bust and soon after their court win, the new club was renamed Newport County AFC as a nod to both incarnations. Thanks to Hando, Newport County returned to the Football League in 2013 and has hosted FA Cup glamour ties against Premier League champions Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and famously beat Leicester City five years ago. It’s a far cry from their days in the Federated Homes League Premier Division.
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