Club Ambassador and Vice President Bruce Speller has been a fixture at Nethermoor for a number of years. Whilst he is known to most Lions fans for his exceptional and dedicated service to Guiseley, Bruce’s time with the Lions represents one part of a storied and distinguished adventure in non league football, writes Joe Priestley.
This article first appeared in our matchday programme, for more exclusive content like this our programmes can be read digitally here.
Bruce became involved in non league football in the early 1960s as a volunteer at Hampton, where he gained valuable experience shadowing the secretary of the London Football Association. When his life took him to the North East, Bruce took up involvement with both Gateshead and North Shields, where his duties including producing the matchday programme.
Bruce’s time at North Shields was a success for both himself and the club. Bruce gained valuable experience, serving as club secretary and organising the league’s Annual General Meeting. On the pitch, North Shields achieved a second place finish in a tough league dominated by the likes of Spennymoor and Blyth Spartans and also managed to earn an FA Cup second round tie with Walsall.
Away from club football, Bruce was also getting involved with internationals. He undertook an admin role with England’s semi-pro football team, accompanying them on tours of the Netherlands and Italy and he was even able to work with the Dutch team on their reciprocal visit for a tournament in Scarborough.
Bruce’s association with Guiseley began when his job with the AA took him to Leeds. He was guided to the club in 1984 and quickly became a committee member and began handling the programme as he had in the North East. Following this, Bruce eventually became club secretary and used his experience from both football and his work with the AA to ensure the club maintained the highest standards in following procedure.
As a key member of Guiseley’s non-playing team, Bruce witnessed the transition of the club from a small local outfit to a much larger operation and cites the influence of figures such as John Gill as contributing factors to Guiseley’s successful transformation.
On the pitch, Bruce has witnessed some of Guiseley’s best moments, and cites winning the FA Vase at Bramall Lane in 1991 and the dramatic playoff victory against Chorley in 2015 as two of his particular favourites.
Bruce encourages volunteers to embrace their roles and believes it to be a highly rewarding experience. He fully believes in the importance of the social aspect and noted that his involvement was an opportunity to make new friends and get to know people as his life took him to new parts of the country.
Bruce continues to serve in an ambassadorial role at the club, continuing his decades long experience in wider football and exceptional service to Guiseley AFC.
