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Extra Time | A NLS Lens - More support, more resources - click here!

Charlotte Richardson

As the pre-season weeks drew to their conclusion and the hard work of the summer months led to the start of new football season up and down the country, we proudly launched a special series, Extra Time: NLS Lens. 

The three-part series, across our hat-trick of trips across the country, explored the English Non-League System learning how to run a successful, thriving club at this level.  

Episode 1 – Marine AFC - https://youtu.be/DHS9m5CVf8I?si=a_8XBFdihrycS1Jo  

Our first episode showcases Marine AFC. A football club thriving both on and off the pitch, the club famously reached the Third Round of the FA Cup welcoming Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur side, during the Covid pandemic. After serving their community so well during this hard time, Marine AFC found further purpose to their strategy and cause to serve those closest to them. 

Club Chairman Paul Leary and his team generously shared their journey forming their Community Trust and how that experience has enriched the wider club, leading to increased attendances, improved fan experience and a boost in volunteer numbers. 

As well as the episode itself, we think you might also enjoy these resources too: 

Episode 2 - Boro Rangers - https://youtu.be/k_NBArS7hXI?si=B2d-DJenlH8zZefc  

Running a club in the NLS is not easy. Countless hours are dedicated and an endless list of thankless tasks completed each and every week. It is always good to take a look at clubs who do things a bit differently and Boro Rangers’ recent success is hugely impressive.  

As they shared in the episode, by thinking outside of the box, focusing on innovative partnerships and building strong communication channels, the club have grown at a rapid pace and have big goals for the future. We hope you enjoyed watching how they do it in our second episode. 

Here are some further links to dig into the subject more. 

Episode 3 Horsham FC - https://youtu.be/zb64Irzx5Gs?si=2D4zHb2P-JbjMwcs  

In our final episode, we visited Horsham FC. A well-respected, well-run football club with an illustrious history. Founded in 1881, Horsham FC has been through it all and in recent times, has enjoyed a fantastic period both on and off the pitch.  

The Hornets have a great reputation across the Non-League game for being a lovely club. Our experience was exactly the same. By talking to their passionate volunteers (who each bring very varied and interesting skills with them), we took away so many nuggets of wisdom around how to treat volunteers, the importance of social media for growing brand identity and how the most important person at a football club is the person who takes the referee their cup of tea at half-time! 

Here are some more useful links if you’d like to learn more around workforce, as well as growing your club’s marketing and communications.   

Remember to catch the latest episodes of In The Box and Extra:Time by subscribing to our Leagues and Clubs Hub on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLeagueandClubHub/videos