Mick Mitchell 1959-2009, RIP

Mick with Paul Simpson in 2005

Proud to be a Cumbrian;
Mick Mitchell 1959 - 2009

The tragic death of 'Mick' Mitchell has taken away one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated followers Carlisle United has known in the recent past. Thousands among the Blue Army know Mick through his work. Born Anthony James Mitchell in 1959 Mick studied at St Aiden's School and watched United in the 'legends' era. He left Carlisle in 1977 to join the BBC where he spent 12 years working between their news and sport divisions, his career choice fuelled by his skill as a wordsmith and his love of sport. He joined the newly formed Sky in 1989 and by the mid-90s was also well established as a freelance writer.

Mick wasn't the first to write a book about Carlisle United but he was the first author to have his name on three separate titles. Life With Carlisle United (1996), Legends of Carlisle United (2001) and Proud to be a Cumbrian (2005) (dedicated to his daughters Rosanna and Melissa) chronicled both Mick's love of the club and his meetings with the greats and cult heroes who inspired devotion from the fans. His best known work amongst Carlisle followers is the best-selling Carlisle United - A Tale of Cumbrian Passion, a video anthology celebrating a century of the club.

For all his love of his home city and club, Mick certainly got around. His CV read more like a wish-list of jobs for a sports fan of his generation; Grandstand, Sportsnight and Match of the Day are all in there, along with trips to cover Lennox Lewis' championship fights in the United States. The friends and colleagues I spoke to in researching this piece are adamant Mick would want to be remembered as a journalist. His work included stories for children, and involvement in a dizzying array of diverse projects. He never claimed himself as a pioneer, but he did pioneering work.

It is ironic he should die as Sky celebrated its 20th anniversary. The official version of their success story cites the ambitious acquisition of sports events as a major element of the success. In reality this success was built on hard work and those - like Mick - joining the company in the early days were under pressure to bring the sports coverage in on a budget, frequently being expected to work in a way that combined the roles of researcher, journalist and technician. Mick left a BBC still dominated by unions and subject to demarcation arguments, if anyone stepped out of a role. Sky started from scratch and largely ignored the strict division of jobs and heavy unionisation of other broadcasters. Mick and his colleagues gradually changed the way sports broadcasting was produced and understood.

His books also broke new ground. Mick was well placed to see the digital revolution changing the media world in the 1990s, and in particular the falling costs of printing and book production. Whilst others were thinking about what this might mean Mick started his own independent production of books. His titles typically saw him doing almost all his own work. These days a small print-on-demand industry exists to help authors working for niche markets and nobody needs to pay out hefty sums to vanity publishers or presses.

But for those of us who write about Carlisle United Mick's trail-blazing was vital to help establish the size of the market and Mick was amongst the first to argue his own way into bookshops and use the web to generate a profile. The rest of us are forever in his debt for that. He remained a journalist simply because, out of choice, he returned to his love of words and delivered work that let the witnesses to a story speak, and allowed him to interject and guide the reader when necessary. His final two books feature interviews and insights from those who saw the great and not-so-great days of Carlisle United, Mick collected interviews with some - like Alan Ashman - who have now died, and, in that sense, helped collect and present items of definitive Carlisle United history.

The video history is - arguably - a fitting memorial to his talents, only a true fan would have attempted the task, only a good journalist would have teased out the story and only one with the talent to source archive material and an appreciation of the need to negotiate copyright clearance could have completed the job. Mike Gardener told me; 'He was a passionate fan and all United supporters have benefited from his work.' The success of the DVD is mainly down to Mick, and Mick alone. It is also a fitting memorial to his talents that media colleagues held on to the story of his death. Mick died on 31 January but out of respect for the man, and the quiet dignity with which the family bore his death, everyone agreed to hold the story back until after his funeral.

Mick's health in his final years wasn't good, he moved back to his home city and settled close to Brunton Park. He worked when he could, writing freelance pieces, and still got to matches. He leaves a body of work that will be cherished by Carlisle fans, and evidence of his personality and love of his team. There is a great picture in the opening pages of Life with Carlisle United a teenage Mick stands in the distance, in the Warwick goalmouth, the empty terraces stretched out behind him and sheets of long black hair framing his head, his skinny frame sporting flared jeans, every inch the seventies soccer fan.

In other pictures in later books the adult Mick has his arm wrapped round the shoulders of Hughie McIlmoyle and Paul Simpson. He is an established professional by this point, but the same love of what he is doing that took him into that goalmouth as a youngster is still there. At his best Mick stayed true to his passion, and spread that passion to others. It was something of a mission, as Mick himself says in the opening words of his Legends book; '….I always tell anyone - there are not many of us but we are EVERYWHERE.' Mick did his bit to keep the faith alive and the many fans he reached will miss him.

Rest in peace.

Neil Nixon is editing a book of stories written by supporters of Carlisle United, all profits will go to the Football in the Community scheme at Carlisle United. Your contribution is welcome. For details of how to get involved go to www.neilnixon.com and click on the books page.