Brislington FC
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BSU Lecturer Jonathan Kelham helps bring community pillar back to life
Tuesday, 13 January, 2026Bath Spa University Course Leader Jonathan Kelham is undertaking a unique, multi-year residency that is helping to restore one of the areas oldest football clubs.
Brislington FC has been a staple of the wider Bristol community for a number of years, with the club acting as a key grassroots pathway for young footballers and dedicated supporters. Unlike the riches that exist at the top of the ‘world’s game’, Brislington relies on an army of volunteers to help keep the club afloat.
From tea ladies to kitmen, photographers to executives, everyone involved at the club is donating their most valuable asset, time. That’s where BSU Course Leader Jonathan Kelham and close friend Ken Borg come in.
Since the summer of 2025, Jonathan and Ken have been undertaking a three-year voluntary artist residency that has already seen the pair rejuvenate and innovate at the very heart of Brislington FC. Working to improve the club’s visual style and implementing a number of exciting innovations, Jonathan and Ken have already started work improving the club’s main stand and bar area, with work continuing throughout the 2025/26 season and beyond.
Speaking about the project, Jonathan said:
“The project evolved from another piece of work, from there I started going to watch Brislington FC with Ken and we began thinking about how we could make an impact at the club using our skillsets. I knew I wasn’t going to do much of a job at left back so I reached out and pitched them this project.
The club were quite reluctant at first, they even ghosted me, but when they realised the vision they gave us the keys and trusted us to make it happen.
I started by making a large flag mosaic which is now displayed at the ground and it snowballed from there, as people started to recognise and appreciate the work we were doing”
Jonathan and Ken have already made a large impact at the club, using fly-tipped metal or discounted paint to create eye-catching visual changed around the ground. The duo will continue their work to the end of 2026/27 season, which will just so happen to mark the club’s 70th anniversary, a major point of celebration for everyone in BS4.
Brislington FC can’t lay claim to being Bristol’s biggest football club but that has no effect on its community impact. Many supporters rely on the community created at the heart of their local teams, something that motivated Jonathan to get involved.
Speaking about the sense of community that exists at the club, Jonathan said:
“The club has been around for nearly 70 years and the support there is intergenerational. It has these incredible contributions to people’s lives, whether that’s the Chairman, players or staff on the turnstiles. It wouldn’t exist without them.”
The power of volunteering is something often overlooked, especially when it comes to local sports teams. In truth, just like BSU partners Bath City, clubs like Brislington couldn’t survive and thrive without the army of volunteers that support them. Projects like this, driven by Jonathan and Ken, will continue to have an impact for years – if not decades - to come.
Reflecting on the impact of the project, Jonathan said:
“Volunteering, especially at this level of football, is incredibly rewarding. You sort of become obsessed by it. It’s an incredible space to go in and test the waters, get some new knowledge and meet new people. You realise how welcoming and genuinely thankful people are, that you can help out in any way, that it reaffirms your reasoning for the work you do.
I really do believe the club has amazing potential and it’s great to be involved with something that is so ingrained in its local community.”
You can follow Jonathan’s journey on Instagram and why not give Brislington FC a visit in the future? Fixture and ticket information can be found on their website.