What Do Volunteers Actually Do for Non-League Football?

Beth Chapman · Roffey FC

What do volunteers do for non-league football? It might sound like a stupid question to ask. They get jobs done — the things supporters and others don’t think of when they picture match day, from the committee that decides how the club runs, right down to the person in charge of where your car goes in the car park.

This article is about a few people I know in my football world, and how much they mean to the clubs they give so much of their time to. First of all, I want to recognise Steve Ratcliffe from Horsham YMCA.

I spent a lot of time alongside Steve during my spell at YM a few years ago, and he is an example of doing the most for very little back. Not only does he turn up to every game and support the boys on the pitch, he is also the loudest voice encouraging progress and ambition within the club — always on the manager’s side, always striving for the best.

Another mention when it comes to chairmen is Roffey FC’s Phil Gibbs. Phil loves Roffey, and win, lose or draw he will always find the positives to keep heads high when things aren’t going well. At the end of the day, it is so crucial for non-league teams to have a good chairman at the helm — without one, a club can very easily fall to pieces. The same goes for the entire group that makes up a football committee, so shout out to all of you.

Next up, the groundsmen — and this one will be slightly biased, because my example is my own dad, Sam Chapman, the man I thank most for getting me into non-league football. He, alongside Julian Miller at Roffey FC, spends hours a day on the pitch — and I mean hours. I’m pretty sure that between them they cover a full working week: watering, cutting and seeding to make the surface the best it can be for the players. All of it managed around family life, and all of it given wholeheartedly. With the extreme heat we’ve been experiencing recently, it’s these guys who keep the pitches in Sussex football safe to play on.

Now the match day team. Clubs are always looking for more match day volunteers, and trust me, it’s such a fun environment to be part of — so if you love your non-league football, get involved. There are stewards, the people on the gate making sure everyone pays their way in, the people behind the bar serving drinks. And a crucial role is the kitchen team — sometimes just one person, like the legend that is Gill, who has been behind some of the best post-match meals in Sussex since years before I was born. There’s plenty of space for more volunteers, and every club needs them to keep Sussex football alive.

And lastly, I need to talk about myself, and those who do what I do. Social media teams matter for keeping engagement strong and getting people involved. Social media — and I know this for a fact — keeps groundhoppers and people who aren’t aware of their local clubs interested, and often brings them through the gate. We keep players feeling special too, whether it’s man-of-the-match posters or highlight reels of their goals.

All in all, us Sussex volunteers work our socks off. So I want to finish this article by saying: thank you, well done, and keep going.

First published in Dugout News, Issue 002, Sunday 16 August 2026. Republished here in full.