Football's own Tower Colliery: that was how producer Craig Withycombe and I sold the idea to the BBC Cymru Wales programme commissioners about making a documentary on Swansea City's incredible rise from the bottom of the football league to the Premier League in the space of a decade.
It may sound melodramatic but the Swans' success is a tale which is so inspiring, they're talking about a Hollywood film being made about it!
Of course, the football side to the story is rags to riches stuff in itself - club goes from near bankruptcy to the top league - but what we found when making the programme is that that tells only half the tale. And that also, in truth, this is a human interest story and an emotional rollercoaster ride for anyone with a nodding acquaintance with the club.
In 2001, a group of local people and the newly-formed Swansea City Supporters Trust joined forces to wrestle control of their beloved club from an owner whose decision to cut costs by sacking players was met by widespread dismay in Wales' second city and, for that matter, the wider football community.
Suffice to say quite a bit of progress has been made since the days of the unpopular Tony Petty. And it's all down to the fans in the boardroom.
Learning to run a football club is one thing. Turning it in to a multi-million pound business is another, so the achievement is a marvellous one. There are glorious football tales to be told along the way - in the documentary you'll hear from the hat trick hero whose goals saved Swansea from relegation to non-league football in a win or bust game, and now watches from the stands of the Liberty Stadium as a season ticket holder.
Leon Britton, one of the first signings made by this board of supporters, still plays in midfield choosing to be loyal to the club which took a chance on him. He told us his story at the club and his hilarious first impressions of it!
And what about the owners themselves? This eclectic group of builders, accountants and carpet salesmen currently deal with million pound contracts and recruit world class footballing talent. Ten years ago they were learning as they went along. As vice chairman Leigh Dineen put it when they first bought the club: "Right, what do we do know then?"
Then there are the fans. They'd experienced years of mediocrity and farce (seasoned fans will remember the seven-day reign of former Cradley Town youth manager Kevin Cullis). Each supporter we interviewed had a story, one man even losing his job not to miss a game.
But as the editing process went along we found the story of married couple Anne and Nigel Gigg was compelling enough to, at times, drive the narrative of the programme. From their joy of the glamorous 80s football enjoyed at Swansea under manager John Toshack to the tears they shed when the club faced Hull, where they had to win to stay in the professional league. I've suggested to Anne and Nigel they record the programme as it's a small slice of their family history.
(By the way - don't worry you hardened football fans, there's plenty of goals and match action as well as all that sentimental stuff!)
At a time when English football's Premier League is dominated by billionaires and oligarchs, there is a fan owned club competing with the best of them. And it was a privilege to help tell the triumphant story.
Simon Davies
Reporter and writer, Swansea City: The Fall and Rise
