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

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.