'Pretty close' - Brian McFadden confirms Boyzone and Westlife stars close to Chorley takeover and reveals admiration for Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

McFadden, alongside Boyzone stars Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch, infused pop star glamour into Chorley FC as they attended Saturday's FA Trophy fifth-round tie against Solihull Moors. Clad in Chorley shirts, the trio delighted fans by signing autographs and posing for pictures, sparking excitement and conversation throughout the ground.

While their exact roles at the club are yet to be confirmed, McFadden hinted at an imminent deal, expressing eagerness to attend future home games with his family. This venture stems from Shane Lynch's business partner acquiring the club and inviting McFadden, Duffy, and Ronan Keating to join, aiming to build something meaningful from the ground up.

Speaking to PA news agency, McFadden revealed: "It’s pretty close. I’ve just been talking about coming to the next home game with my family so you’ll probably see quite a lot of us. We’re in.

"Shane’s business partner bought the club seven months ago and asked Shane to get involved. Shane’s not really a football man but he knew that me and Keith love football so he got us involved, and Ronan. We want to be part of something from the ground up."

McFadden revealed that he is a Manchester United fan and added: "I’m a Manchester United fan myself, I’ve got season tickets at Old Trafford, but it’s a corporation. You look at something like Chorley Football Club and you see this belongs to the town, it belongs to the people, it belongs to the community. For us to be able to get involved in something at that level and to try and take it to the next level, there’s a bit of romance to it.”

Drawing comparisons to Wrexham's takeover by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, McFadden highlighted Chorley's potential to rise up the football pyramid as well - to ultimately realise the dream of playing in the professional leagues. However, they currently sit eighth in the National League North and McFadden is ready to put in the hard yards to make the venture a success by leveraging the enthusiastic fan base and community support.

McFadden said: “What the boys have done at Wrexham is incredible but Wrexham’s the same. Wrexham’s always had a huge support, great stadium, great town. All it needed was a bit of extra love and care to help them do what they’re doing.

"We’re hoping we can do the same with Chorley. Look at this, this is non-league football and you’ve got a couple of thousand people out here having a great time, supporting the team. If we can help those supporters reach a higher dream and we can be a part of it, it’d be great.

“We’d love to see Chorley playing in the professional leagues, obviously. If we can get out of National North there’s National League and then in a few years, a bit of investment, bit of development, you never know. Maybe they get out of National League and into League Two and see what happens from there.”

While Chorley suffered a 3-1 defeat against Solihull in the FA Trophy, the presence of McFadden and his cohorts signifies a new chapter for the club, brimming with aspirations of reaching the Football League and beyond. They will next be in action against Southport FC on February 17.