Survival to Silverware : Rochdale's Historic Promotion Season of 2025/26

Rochdale AFC waited 119 years for a national trophy. Two years after relegation and a takeover crisis that threatened their future, they were National League play-off winners. This is the inside story of survival, sustainable ownership and the season that changed everything at Spotland.

When the final whistle blew at Wembley, it marked more than promotion. Rochdale AFC, a club defined for 119 years by survival rather than silverware, were National League play-off winners, lifting their first national trophy and authoring the most improbable chapter in their history. Just two years earlier, Dale had been relegated from the Football League after more than a century of membership, destabilised by financial strain and a divisive takeover attempt that threatened their very existence. Boardroom battles, legal disputes and a suspended points deduction left supporters fearing the worst. Survival to Silverware tells the story of how Rochdale rebuilt from the brink. From a fight to protect the club, to the arrival of the Ogden family and a new model of sustainable ownership, to Jim McNulty’s promotion-winning side, it charts a season rooted in belief and community. After 119 years of waiting, Rochdale finally had their moment. This is how it happened.