The name Bishopmill is back in Moray football and the new team in Elgin may be managed by Scotland’s youngest boss.
FC Bishopmill have been started by chairman Lee Stewart and manager Dominic Barstow to pay homage to the former Junior side Bishopmill United.
Their first fixture is on Friday evening at the Gleaner Arena against Cullen in the Moray Community Cup, and they plan to play in the Moray Welfare League next year.
However, in the future, Stewart hopes they could step up to the Junior ranks – where Bishopmill United won numerous honours over the course of more than 100 years before withdrawing in 2013.
Manager Barstow is only 18, but has established himself as a coach with the Elgin Sports Community Trust and in the Elgin City youth academy.
It is thought he is the youngest manager of an adult team in the country.
Explaining how FC Bishopmill came to be, chairman Stewart, 33, said: “I’m Bishopmill born and bred. I watched Bishopmill welfare teams growing up and I’ve got a passion for the area.
“It’s the largest area in the largest town in Moray and it hasn’t got a football team, so we wanted to change that.
“We’re not trying to take over the mantle of Bishopmill United. We just want to pay homage to the old club by having a team in Bishopmill in again.
“I tried to get hold of folk who had been involved in Bishopmill United and nobody came forward.
“I just wanted to see if there was anything kicking about from the old club before we started, but we’ve gone for it and formed FC Bishopmill.”
Boss destined for big things
On Bishopmill’s teenage manager, Stewart added: “Dominic and I came into contact about two years ago and we just clicked.
“I’ve coached a lot of sessions with Dominic and his ability is there to see.
“My only fear is that I won’t be able to keep him at Bishopmill for long because I think he’ll be working in professional football by the time he’s 21 or 22.
“He’s definitely going to go places in the future, he’s ambitious and has set his sights high.
“But, for Dominic to flourish, he needs an opportunity to show what he can do and hopefully we can provide that.
“I was trying to find out who the youngest manager in Scotland is, and the youngest person I can find is 24, so we think Dominic is the youngest.”
Hopes for the future of Bishopmill United
FC Bishopmill have already recruited a squad of around 20 players and have sponsorship in place.
Stewart hopes this can be the start of growth for the club in years to come.
“We’ve done various fundraising, and we’re trying to ensure we’re on as sound a footing as possible,” he said.
“We’ve got a plan for the next few years. In five years, I’d love to say I’ll be making, or will have made, an application to join the Juniors.
“Whether that happens or not we’ll see – but the plan is that we want to get Bishopmill back in the Juniors.
“If you look up Bishopmill United’s history, they won the Junior league and lots of other trophies. It’s almost been forgotten about, so I just want to bring something back to the area.”
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