Imagine forming a soccer team with your neighborhood friends and, in the space of two decades, seeing this team become a powerhouse in amateur soccer, winning no less than 11 hits in this period.
That’s the incredible story of Dorking Wanderers, a team that started as a “joke” between old partners, but today seriously dreams of reaching the elite of the Premier League.
It all started in September 1999, when Wimbledon went into crisis and the team’s owners started talking about changing the city team (which would end up happening years later). In the midst of all this, Marc White, a fanatical fan of the club, decided to occupy his Saturdays in another way.
“I thought, ‘Why not start something with my friends and have a few laughs? That’s how Dorking Wanderers was born,” White said in an interview with the newspaper. The Guardian.
So the friends banded together and began to play for England’s district divisions, using as a “stadium” a town hall field, which charged £50 a game for rent.
“We were 14 guys, each paying £50. For Saturday amateur football in England, any level will do. And that’s how it all started”, recalled the current president and manager of the club.
But things have gotten serious over the years.
With good campaign after good campaign, Dorking Wanderers started to climb non-stop in the amateur leagues and are now in the North/South Conference, the 6th English division.
There are only two more accesses for the club to reach the League 2which is the 4th division in England and the 1st in professional terms – then League 1a Championship it’s at Premier League.
With the success came sponsorships and the entry of real money, which allowed the group of friends to even build a small stadium, the Meadowbank, in 2007.
Today, the team even has a small group of passionate fans, who occupy the 3 thousand seats of the “arena”.
“We got 11 hits in 19 years, a record in Great Britain. It’s like the Football Manager of real life”, praised Marc White.
“As you move up in the division, you have to keep investing in infrastructure. It all started on the city hall’s field. When we got the first access, we had to put a rope around the lawn, which was a ‘protection barrier’ between fans and players (laughs) Then came the night lights, the seats… Today, we have a stadium for 3,000 people!”, he was proud.
According to White, the objective is to keep Dorking Wanderers a “friends’ club”, without huge foreign sponsors or extravagant owners, as in Premier League.
Everything in the team is financed through small local sponsors, who invest in reinforcements for the squad and give their monthly quota to see the team continue to grow.
“The first athlete we paid something real for was Jason Prior, who we bought from Havant for 15 thousand pounds (R$ 78.17 thousand). We needed a real striker, a killer, and our partners agreed to pay for it. Thanks worth it? Completely! He’s unbelievable!”, praised.
Today, Dorking has a reserve team and even basic categories. Currently, there are 1,150 young people enrolled in the club’s school, which accepts students from the age of 4.
According to White, the goal is for the club to be a source of pride for the small town of 12,000.
“When I drive around Dorking these days, I see parents and their children wearing the team’s jersey. The team has become the meeting place for the community”, he celebrated.
