Buckie Thistle, the Highland League football club that briefly found itself under the global spotlight after a Scottish Cup clash with Celtic, has received an unexpected boost from an unlikely benefactor — celebrated horror novelist Stephen King.
The club, known as the Highland Jags, confirmed that King made a financial contribution to help ease its mounting money troubles, though officials have chosen not to reveal the exact amount donated.
"We don't want to disclose the sum but it is a nice little figure that will keep us going," a club representative said. "It will help pay for players and operation costs and things like that."
According to the club, King responded to news of their financial struggles with a message of encouragement, hoping his gesture would spark similar generosity from others. "The response we got back in the email from him was 'hopefully this donation inspires others to get involved and put their hands in their pockets as well', so we are eternally grateful and we just hope it does inspire others to help us," the representative added.
Buckie Thistle rose to national prominence in early 2024 when they were drawn against Scottish giants Celtic in the Scottish Cup. The tie, played in Glasgow, ended in a 5-0 defeat for the part-time outfit, but the exposure introduced the small Moray coast club to a far wider audience than usual.
Despite that moment of recognition, the club has since been grappling with serious financial difficulties. The situation worsened earlier this year when long-serving club president Garry Farquhar stepped down due to health reasons, leaving a leadership void at a critical time.
Farquhar's son, Daniel, who has taken on a prominent role in addressing the crisis, laid bare the scale of the challenge facing the Highland League side. "Our operating costs of around £20,000 per month are far outweighing the money coming in at the moment, so we are undergoing a big task just now just to look at expenditure, try and reduce that," he explained.
The financial strain has forced the club into a period of reassessment, with officials examining ways to cut costs while searching for new sources of revenue to keep the team competitive and operational.
However, there have been signs of hope amid the hardship. Daniel Farquhar revealed that the club has experienced a surge of goodwill from supporters and well-wishers in recent weeks, well before King's involvement became public. "We have had in the region of £55,000 worth of donations in the last five or six weeks, so it is phenomenal," he said.
That wave of support, combined with King's contribution, offers Buckie Thistle some much-needed breathing room as they work to stabilize their finances. The club remains a fixture of Highland League football, a level of the Scottish game sustained largely through community backing, volunteer effort and the passion of local supporters.
While the identity of King as a donor may seem an unusual twist for a small Scottish football club, it reflects the reach that Buckie Thistle's cup exploits against Celtic generated beyond the world of football itself. The club now hopes that continued public attention — and perhaps further high-profile gestures — will help secure its long-term future.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.