A tribute to the late, great Ian Stirling
When Ian Stirling tragically passed away last month, at the age of just 57, the news prompted an unprecedented reaction – from both Manchester United as a club and its match-going fan base.
The Salford Red was well known to thousands who follow the team home and away, and had helped many of that number – both directly and indirectly – via his roles with Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) and the Fans’ Forum. But ultimately, Ian was a supporter. And it’s not every day that the first team wears black armbands to mark the passing of a fan.
That’s what happened when Erik ten Hag’s side took on Southampton on 12 March, with chief executive Richard Arnold placing on record the club’s gratitude for his “towering” contribution as a “relentless and unflinching advocate for the interest of fans”. Meanwhile, WhatsApp groups and social media accounts were rife with personal stories that blazed with Ian’s kindness and generosity; his care and compassion for United fans of all descriptions.
Former United We Stand fanzine writer Steve Armstrong hit the mark with a tweet that summed Stirling’s immense contribution up in straightforward terms: ‘Ian Stirling could have just gone to the match and gone home. He didn’t. He stood and represented us when he could have been with his family. He could have just put himself first. He didn’t. He gave all his time to make it better for us. He gave his life to it. Literally. RIP, mate.’
Sadly, many will not have met Ian. And even many who did know him – if only to nod to at games – will be unaware of the thousands of small things he did to further the cause of supporters.
“There were an awful lot of supporters that Ian helped over the years,” stresses Amanda Jacks, formerly a case worker for the Football Supporters’ Association.
“Literally hundreds. And that would range from individuals that had fallen foul of club or ground regulations, season-ticket terms and conditions, or to those who had genuine grievance because of how they’d been treated at a football match. It was completely across the spectrum. And you literally couldn’t wish for a finer advocate on your behalf than Ian.
“Literally hundreds. And that would range from individuals that had fallen foul of club or ground regulations, season-ticket terms and conditions, or to those who had genuine grievance because of how they’d been treated at a football match. It was completely across the spectrum. And you literally couldn’t wish for a finer advocate on your behalf than Ian.
“He had all the qualities you need to do to the work that he did. Patient, understanding, he could cut through the nonsense very quickly. He could talk to Richard Arnold just as easily as he could talk to a kid on the terrace; he just had that sort of personality where he wasn’t fazed or intimidated by anybody. No airs, no graces, no pretentiousness. There was nothing contrived at all. He was just Ian.”
Few knew Ian better than MUST CEO Duncan Drasdo, who worked alongside him for almost two decades. In the supporters’ trust’s line of work, criticism was a regular part of life, but Duncan watched his colleague’s calmness and thoughtfulness win through, time and time again.
“He was such a genuine person that people knew what he was saying was the truth and that he was doing things for the right reasons, even if they disagreed with the tactics that were being pursued or whatever,” recalled Drasdo. “People that were prepared to come and meet Ian usually went away as different people.
“He didn’t see it as a job. It was a role he loved to do and was good at. He’d build relationships with people and cared about them. He was always looking out for other people and was a very warm person. He cared about things like the atmosphere in the ground, and he cared about getting the youth into the ground so that it was affordable.”
“He didn’t see it as a job. It was a role he loved to do and was good at. He’d build relationships with people and cared about them. He was always looking out for other people and was a very warm person. He cared about things like the atmosphere in the ground, and he cared about getting the youth into the ground so that it was affordable.”
There were countless things Ian helped to tangibly improve, like the introduction of the safe-standing section in J Stand, or youth season tickets for fans aged 16-25. But, of course, Ian liked nothing more than a matchday following the Reds, with pure enjoyment as the focus.
“He was someone that really lived in the moment for United,” says match-going friend Geoff Pearson. “I had no idea what his first match was, who his favourite player was, what his favourite game was. He was someone that didn’t live in the past; he was very much focused on the game and particularly the matchday in front of him.
“He was happiest at United in J Stand. I think that’s one of the legacies he would be most proud of: the work he did to get that space going, and to get people being able to stand and watch United.”
And while Ian was a lifelong fan of the Reds, there was no snobbishness or mocking of first-timers or green youngsters.
“He was never one of these people who tried to tell others what authentic football fandom looked like, and how you had to support United,” continues Geoff.
“He was always very welcoming to fans coming to their first matches or travelling from elsewhere, even though he was very much a local himself, being from Salford. He sounded and dressed very local! But that was a really nice feature of him.
“He was never one of these people who tried to tell others what authentic football fandom looked like, and how you had to support United,” continues Geoff.
“He was always very welcoming to fans coming to their first matches or travelling from elsewhere, even though he was very much a local himself, being from Salford. He sounded and dressed very local! But that was a really nice feature of him.
“If ever, for example, somebody shouted at somebody to put their phone away, Ian would turn around and say: ‘What’s the problem? Let people enjoy this as they want to enjoy it; let them leave with a positive experience.’ ”
Not that Stirling was always able to enjoy the match, given his responsibilities as a supporter advocate. “He had this really good idea to set up a phone line that was basically just for emergencies, for United fans travelling to Amsterdam when we played Ajax [in 2012],” recalls Pearson with a laugh.
“Again, it was Ian’s generosity. Even on a trip away where he wanted to have a good time, he was imagining that if people got arrested they could drop him a message and he could make sure they got the support they needed. Of course, United fans being United fans, for the duration of the trip, this phone would ping every two minutes with facetious things like: ‘Which of these beers should I go for?’ or ‘I’m locked in the boot of a car – can you help?’ And many other things you couldn’t print!”
Ian managed to find not only time to do his day job (helping people to recover from addiction) and work for MUST, but also to fulfil his duties as a much-loved family man, who was proud of nothing more than his wife Lynn and his daughter Lucy.
“I don’t know anyone who was as close to his family,” says Drasdo. “He talked about them all the time. If there’s something that I’d take away from Ian’s example, it’s that you need to properly make time for your family. Ian had it exactly right: he was committed to MUST, but he didn’t forget to commit to his family as well. And he roped them in to an extent as well! Almost child labour! He had his daughter Lucy helping and my sons as well, who both saw him as a kind of uncle figure. They’d all get roped into stuffing envelopes or giving out leaflets over the years, from the ages of five, six or seven!”
Weeks after his passing, it still feels so uncomfortable to be referring to Ian in the past tense. It’s not even six weeks since he could be seen cheerily engaging with fans at the Carabao Cup final, buzzing to see his beloved team back at Wembley.
That sadness will be impossible to shake for the many Reds who knew and loved him and, of course, his many dear family members and friends. But there’s comfort in the fact that the impact made by this larger-than-life man, and the warmth of his spirit, will also keep us smiling for decades to come.
“I’ve spoken to loads of people about Ian and we all agree; we can’t remember any club doing anything like that for a supporter,” marvels Amanda Jacks. “I just think that says all you need to say. The players wearing black armbands? That’s normally reserved for royalty or prime ministers. Ian would say: ‘Black armbands? I’m just a fan from Salford!’ ”
It’s a tragedy that Ian is no longer with us, and heartbreaking that he was not able to experience the hugely moving, admiring tributes that followed his passing. But whatever realm he now inhabits, we hope all that love and respect somehow finds a way to him. Because he earned every bit of it.
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