Paul Collicutt, a former Cheltenham Town player, now Bishop’s Cleeve boss on missing out on promotion, why the travelling is tough on semipro footballers and how he’s built a Leckhampton business that turns over millions of pounds.
Watch the full chat with Paul Collicutt below:
No promotion no drama
Bishop’s Cleeve Football Club suffered playoff heartbreak in the end of the season – losing in extra time at Malvern Town. But manager Paul Collicutt wasn’t in the mood to dwell when he stopped by Sport and Life HQ.
He was fresh from a break that featured Spanish sun…but not much of a break. And it was clear he was already fully focussed on next season.
“I went away for a week. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Tried to put the football on the back seat, but the phone kept ringing,” Collicutt said.
“Preseason seems to get earlier and earlier every year. I think we’re going to start the last week of June and then we’ve got our first game on the fourth of July.”
Semi-pro still means long road trips
Collicutt, or Colli as everyone calls him, isn’t a complainer. He works very hard as a football manager and he’s worked very hard running Collicutt Meats since 1987.
But even he says life for him and the players with day jobs isn’t easy in the Southern League Division One South – especially night games in Cornwall.
“We’ve done Falmouth not once, but twice in the midweek. So the lads are getting back three, half three in the morning.
“The geography of football, especially at semi-professional level seems to be all over the place.”
Walking the walk
But Colli’s players can never claim their manager doesn’t understand the pressures of juggling football and a day job.
Often the team doesn’t get back from midweek away games until midnight. Rough for someone working regular hours.
But Colli still rises at 2:30am to fire up Collicutt Meats in Leckhampton. Although he says he has started to clock off in the late morning.
“I get home a lot earlier than I used to. I go into the centre of Cleeve, have a coffee or a sandwich. I think it’s great if you can support your local businesses.
Mum’s good-luck charm
Collicutt Meats is one of Cheltenham’s success stories. A local man who’s built a powerhouse company in the town. It had a turnover of £21 million last year.
Colli says his mother was a big part of its start.
“I worked, and worked and worked. I worked silly hours. I worked seven days a week.
“I take a lot of pride in my name and especially my mother. Mum, God rest her soul, she used to come and clean the depot once a week. She’d get on her hands and knees, it was unbelievable.
“She wouldn’t want a penny for it.
“She had this horse’s shoe. And she said ‘I’m putting it above the door. You need the luck, don’t let anybody touch it and you’ve got to keep it that way.’
“And nobody, nobody has ever touched it.”
Motivate young pros with a real job
The hoof might have helped. But Collie’s relentless work ethic surely has been a deciding factor in his success. Though he says he wishes he’d had that attitude when trying to make it as a pro.
“My biggest regret is I wish that I worked before I actually turned professional. Because it would have made me appreciate what I was doing.
“I went to Swindon (on a three year contract), absolutely loved it. Did the training and all that but I didn’t go the extra yard.
“And in the job that I’m in now, starting at half two in the morning, it looks easy now.”
Bishop’s Cleeve FC a community success story
Colli is Bishop’s Cleeve born and bred. He’s clearly proud to lead the men’s team. But also the growing community club at Kayte Lane – where boys and girls of all ages and abilities get to play.
The laying of an astro turf has been a game changer for the club and the village.
“Dave Walker was always on the case, he wanted to get an astro turf and I think it took him seven or eight years.
“It’s good. It’s brought the community in and they use the facility. You’re talking five hundred kids.”
Promotions and the pay packet problem
Life in semi-pro football is hard. Sometimes even joyous achievements like promotions can bring headaches for relatively modest outfits like Bishop’s Cleeve.
“The next level is even bigger. As a club you’ve got to make sure financially you’re secure. And it has a knock on effect with these players wages.
“Some of the money I’m hearing lads at our level are being paid. It’s mind boggling.
“At Cleeve we’re relying on getting the support from local football. And crowds have gone up. When I started it was literally a man and his dog.”
Still kicking
But make no mistake. Colli will be giving one hundred percent in 2026/27 – in football and in business.
“I’ve got friends who are retired and they say ‘Colli, how do you manage to do what you do?’
“But I still get that kick and long may that continue because that’s the thing that drives me on.”
