Part I: The importance of fans and volunteers

‘Fans and volunteers are the backbone of any Northern League club.’

‘Without the volunteers the club wouldn’t run and without the fans the club wouldn’t exist.’ Said Chairman of Bishop Auckland FC (BAFC), Steve Coulthard.

Northern League clubs depend on their fans and most of all their volunteers. A lot of the clubs at Northern League level are crying out for volunteers, especially towards the next generation.

Unfortunately, clubs have a lot of older volunteers, people that have supported the clubs since they were kids and wanted to get involved with the club they love.

The volunteers at these clubs take care of everything, from social media to match reports, from secretary duties to general running of things, from ground maintenance to tidying up and keeping things clean.

They do a lot more than people see or expect from them. They all love their club they volunteer for. Most are retired and looking to fill in some newfound time. Some still work and still give up some of their time to help out. They are the glue that hold these clubs together, a lot of clubs probably wouldn’t exist without them.

A volunteer at Newton Aycliffe FC said, “The trouble with the northern league is, you’ll find the same everywhere, all the volunteers are getting older so lots are going to struggle, we are lucky we have one or two young ones, most clubs are all in their 60s/70s like us and we can’t keep doing it.”

Steve Coulthard said, “We have about 20 (volunteers) at the moment, we’ve lost 2 or 3 over the years for different reasons, but we’re always looking for volunteers, there’s never enough volunteers, some days we can have 4 or 5 short, so everyone has to muck in, myself included.”

“Everybody gets a job, there’s that much to do, preparation and cleaning up after and before a match, there’s a lot of work that goes into it, any Northern League club will tell you that.”

Steve Morallee, Chairman at Tow Law FC said, “Without volunteers, working hard behind the scenes, football clubs at this level would cease to exist.

“Clubs need fans to make it worthwhile for clubs to continue. Also, the next generation of volunteers comes from the fans.”

Volunteers keep their club going and help with general things. A nice, neat looking club with great friendly staff/volunteers will help get fans through the gate. More fans can lead to more volunteers and maybe even encourage the next generation to get involved.

Clubs need the next generation to join in and help them out, especially with social media becoming a more prominent aspect to publicising clubs and reaching fans.

‘In 2023, there are estimated to be 4.89 billion total social media users worldwide.

'The average person bounces between seven different social networks per month.

'The amount of time internet users spend on social media is now higher than ever - 151 minutes per day.

'TikTok is the fastest-growing social network with a staggering 100% user growth rate between 2020 and 2022.’ (https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/)

Social media and the internet are growing platforms that Northern League clubs need to explore to reach more fans, hence needing more volunteers and younger volunteers that will know more about the platforms.

Volunteering can be a very rewarding experience for both the person volunteering and the organization. You get to meet people you may never have been able to before. It can improve mental wellbeing. You can learn new skills. Give back to your local community. Feel valued and part of a team.

Many people who volunteer in sports are trying to get their foot in the industry, looking to return back to a sport they love, express their passion for the sport through their actions, looking to fill in some time doing something they enjoy.

Brian Atkinson, manager of Newton Aycliffe said, “The volunteers listen, loads of people give their time up free of charge for the football club, just to try and help us and it's a hobby.

“We've got a few retired people like Peter’s from Northallerton. He travels to Newton Aycliffe, maybe three or four times a week, must be costing him a fortune, but he does it because he wants to make the football club better.”

All the clubs in the Northern League need dedicated volunteers. It’s just finding them and hanging onto them.

At the bottom is a gallery of photos from photographer Peter Jackson and some photos sent by fans.