Out of Step – An Anatomy of a Non-League Club

Published by Ockley Books – Coming in Summer 2021

A detailed insight into the inner workings of Non-League football clubs across England, fighting for survival against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to the most challenging environment the beautiful game has ever had to face

About the Author

Stuart Fuller

With over ten years on the board at Lewes Football Club, one of the most innovative and challenger clubs in English Non-League football and a director of the Isthmian League, there’s few people with greater insight into the game.

Author of the Football Tourist series as well as the main contributor to the award-winning The Ball is Round website, Stuart Fuller understands the challenges, the risks and the rewards facing football below the professional game in the current climate.

What’s the book all about?

The Roles

Each chapter focuses on a different role within the club, ranging from the Chairman to the groundsman and everyone in-between. No two stories or individuals are alike, with interviews with half a dozen different people in each chapter.

The Challenges

The health of Non-League football has been questioned for many years but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the financial sustainability of clubs to the fore. The book not only addresses this on a per club and per role basis but also includes a summary of how the pandemic hit the game and the major stories around the stop-start nature of the Non-League game.

The Future

The one thing that all clubs agree on and that is the future is more uncertain than ever. With the 2020/21 season balanced on a knife-edge, the book focuses on how clubs have coped so far with a lack of fans and football, and what the future holds for them.

Quotes

It does seem that when a club releases you, they almost don’t want you to be successful as it looks bad on them in making a wrong call.”
Player X on being released by a professional club at 19 years old

I never knew there were so many hats to wear. I don’t think anyone who isn’t involved with a club can imagine the amount of admin you need to complete. And football administration is merciless – one mistake and you can be kicked out of a cup or docked points
Club Secretary Y on the amount of admin required