Co-owners Jason Stockwood (right) and Andrew Pettit (left) celebrate with former midfielder Giles Coke after Grimsby Town win promotion to League Tw3
Co-owners Jason Stockwood (right) and Andrew Pettit (left) celebrate with former midfielder Giles Coke after Grimsby Town win promotion to League Two
Dates: 6-9 January Coverage: Gillingham v Leicester City (12:30 GMT) and Sheffield Wednesday v Newcastle United (18:00) live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app on Saturday, 7 January, and Manchester City v Chelsea (16:30) live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app on Sunday, 8 January.

Stockwood was the head of a well-known dating website.

The chairman of a League Two club spoke to his customers weekly to get feedback.

One woman told me she was divorced and didn't want another partner until she found out her daughter had joined Match.com.

She was attracted to the man she saw in town and now they are married. It was wonderful to hear those stories.

Stockwood's relationship with Grimsby is supposed to be perfect.

He was raised by his mother, a single parent, and grandma four miles away from the park.

He has been a fan of the team for a long time.

Stockwood was a ball boy in the 1980s and he used to dodge coins thrown at him by the opposing fans.

He has established himself as a global technology entrepreneur through a wide range of jobs, including a stint as a holiday rep on the Greek island of Zante.

In May of 2021, Stockwood and Andrew Pettit became the new owners of the business.

The co-owners face the greatest challenge of their business careers, reviving the fortunes of the club against the backdrop of a soaring cost of living.

We look for challenges and solutions. In the third round of the FA Cup, Stockwood's team will play League One Burton Albion.

The community is very supportive of the football club and the town as a whole.

Grimsby Town fans at London Stadium for the National League play-off final against Solihull Moors in June 2022
Around 13,000 Grimsby fans travelled to London Stadium to see their team promoted to the Football League in June 2022

'Fans threw coins at me - I made 32p'

He describes himself as a "council estate kid".

It was a happy time in my life. He says it was just a case of us being skint. Even though she was a single parent, my mum had three jobs and was a hard worker. She is inspiring.

Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan and Glenn Hoddle were football's poster boys, but Stockwood's childhood hero was Joe Waters.

He was a ball boy and was able to see his hero.

Being on the other side of the wall made Stockwood feel very special. I was on the edge of the pitch in a green tracksuit that had not been washed all season.

There was a time when I was at the away end and fans from the other team threw coins and spit at me. I took home 32 pence after picking up all the coins. It was the beginning of my entrepreneurial career.

A scholarship in the United States gave Stockwood a taste for travelling and he stayed on a kibbutz in Israel before finding a job in Zante.

He says that being a holiday rep is one of the hardest jobs he has ever had.

People who got into situations with the police, people who had too much to drink, and people who got sick were some of the people I had to deal with. There was someone who passed away.

I was 25 and had a lot of stress. There wasn't a rule book. People think you are having a good time.

Dealing with problems and thinking on your feet were some of the things that were learned.

Stockwood moved into the world of online dating after the internet took off.

He became the international managing director of the website within a few months.

A mural at Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town Football Club
A mural at Blundell Park illustrates Grimsby's proud fishing heritage

'My friends thought online dating was for losers'

Meeting a partner online was not as popular in the early 2000s as it is today.

When Stockwood told his friends that he was using an online dating site they thought it was funny.

They thought it was for people who were depressed. I used to think that online dating was going to change the way people meet.

It isn't one of the most embarrassing ways to meet a partner anymore.

The couple met online. They have been together for 17 years and have two children.

Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town
Grimsby are looking to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1999-00

'Grimsby's full of hope and resilience'

After being demoted to the National League, Stockwood and Pettit became co-owners of the club.

There is a lot of work to be done if the Mariners are to keep moving forward. Stockwood says patience is important.

He says that they won one game in 10 before they were promoted. People were calling for the manager to be fired and the banners were out. We know this is a process, so we didn't consider that at any point.

The town of Grimsby was left reeling when, in 2014, Channel 4 filmed its Skint documentary, portraying the fishing port as poverty-stricken and a benefit black spot. Four years later the town was crowned "Britain's unhealthiest high street".

During the cost of living crisis, the football club has reached out to the community to provide a warm space, while fans donated more than 150 winter coats which were distributed to those most in need

There is also an initiative in place with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) that allows young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to watch games at Blundell Park for free.

"Grimsby has pockets of deprivation and a broad church of people who are experiencing the cost of living crisis, which is why it is a town like any other in the UK," says Stockwood.

There is a spirit of endeavor and aspiration in the community.

The kids I'm working with are ambitious and hopeful about the future, and I'm involved in the building of a youth facility in the town.

Stockwood thinks that anything is possible for the people of Grimsby.

There is an obvious belief that the future is positive for a kid who grew up on a council estate.

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