What makes Partick Thistle FC Unique? An inside look into the new football documentary

Funeral Cortege Of Euromillions Winner Pauses at Partick Thistle's Stadium
Funeral Cortege Of Euromillions Winner Pauses at Partick Thistle's Stadium / David Cheskin/GettyImages
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Wrexham aren’t the only football club with a feel good story, as a new documentary is in the works to cover a Scottish side who’ve fallen on hard times.

Similar to the FX series Welcome to Wrexham, the new documentary about Partick Thistle covers the side from Mayhill in Scotland, looking at their hopes of promotion out of the Scottish Championship.

The show began production in May and like Welcome to Wrexham, it’s generated interest from some prominent Americans.

What we know so far is that it’ll examine the football fandom of the club and what it means to be passionate about a team that may not always deliver results.

Who will be working on this documentary?

There are two big names that will be overseeing this documentary with Sam Neave directing and Charles B. Wessler among the producers.

You may remember Neave for his work on Almost in Love and First Person Singular, while he also served as a writer and editor on the tv series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.

Years ago, Wessler gained notoriety for his production work on Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. In more recent times he was an executive producer for the movie Green Book which won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards.

Reports indicated the project is still seeking worldwide distribution.

Who are Partick Thistle FC?

Partick Thistle FC have not played in the Scottish top-flight since being relegated from the Premiership in 2017-18.

Production of the film began as the club had just failed to earn a promotion from the Championship.

The Jags were founded in 1876, but despite their long history, supporters have had little to cheer about for decades. Partick Thistle has historically won two major trophies: the Scottish Cup in 1920-21 and the Scottish League Cup in 1971-72. They were Scottish Cup runners-up once in 1929-30 and finished second in the Scottish League Cup on three occasions in the 1950s.

What makes Partick Thistle FC unique?

Kris Doolan
Partick Thistle v Rangers - Betfred League Cup Quarter Final / Ian MacNicol/GettyImages

Partick Thistle is a unique take on a small football club in part because they didn’t have any rich owners step in to save them.

In fact, over 70% of the Maryhill Magyars are owned by the fanbase, so to be even within striking distance of a promotion like last season is remarkable. They don’t have financial support from a Ryan Reynolds or Rob McElhenney like the Welsh side Wrexham.

Donald McClymont is one of the club’s minority owners and a lifelong fan of Partick Thistle.

“Partick Thistle has been around for almost 150 years and there’s no doubt in my mind that we belong in the Premiership. We’ve come desperately close to getting promoted the past two years and we’re all hoping this is the year we make it back up,” says McClymont.

Neave, the director, meanwhile had this to say about why this story resonated for him.

“As sports fans we don’t always get to pick our teams. Watching my first match at Firhill Stadium wasn’t some glamorous event but it immediately made me want to tell the story of the relationship between these fans and their team.”

Wesler calls the story “the perfect antidote to the current climate of lavish spending and celebrity investors in football.”

In 2023-24 they finished third in the Scottish Championship and lost in the semi-final playoff on penalties versus Raith Rovers.

No word yet on when the documentary will be released.

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