From running the tea bar to building their own stand - how one group of dedicated volunteers manage to keep Selston FC going

Results may become problematic, but financial sustainability and having too much to do with not enough staff to do it isn’t going to be an issue affecting clubs riding the top flight gravy train.

But further down the ladder . . . . much much further . . . it’s a whole different story with many grassroots clubs having it all on just to survive.

Over at Central Midlands Alliance League side Selston, that battle to keep heads above water and move forward year on year is an all too familiar challenge facing the loyal locals who love their club.

“Anybody in non league football will tell you it is notoriously difficult,” said club chairman Deene Ball. “In recent times, especially, it is hard to get the finances together. We have to go out to local companies and try to get sponsorship.

“We are very lucky with what we get in this area but we are a small village and we haven’t got a great backing or financial backing.

“We are all local people who work hard to keep it going. We are all invested in the club with our heart. It is challenging to keep going and we do struggle with facilities in this area and the pitch.

“A few seasons ago we got up to step five and had to build a new stand. We all came together and built the stand ourselves from scratch. Prior to that we got the floodlights in.

“There’s been many changes over the years but, season on season, it is difficult to maintain.”

As well as the hard work Deene (54) puts in as chairman, he is also responsible for running the club’s thriving Soccer School.

But it’s not just another thankless chore for passionate Deene, who admits seeing the community unite is something that drives him on each day.

“We start a new batch of U7’s every year,” he revealed. “I see all those kids progress through and the families come together, enjoying their football and the social activities that we do at the club.

“Everyone comes together and that is what keeps us all going. People enjoy their football and being together. I am a bit old school and I think people belonging to the community and belonging to something seems to be going out in the modern world and to keep that going is the thing that drives us on.”

But it is a challenge that is becoming increasingly more difficult with the modern world also offering many more distractions to occupy the time and minds of those living in the surrounding area.

It leaves Selston, who were originally formed in 1968 as a Sunday League side, always on the lookout for new volunteers to help lighten the load of those currently taking on the burden.

On the pitch, the Parish club currently has 12 junior sides as well as a first team and veterans side.

But they offer far more than just that with community and social events, such as go-karting nights and family fun days, a key part of their ethos.

“We do struggle with volunteers,” admits Deene. “We understand that people are busy, lives are busy. People have got kids, that’s how we all start generally here. The people we have work incredibly hard and it is difficult for me, at times, to see the strain they are under because they are volunteers and it is a lot of work.

“Each year we do try to find new volunteers. We have so many good people around the club and community that we manage to keep going. I think any local football club will tell you that getting good volunteers is really difficult.

“People can make a big difference. Some think they have to be into football or know how a club runs, but that is not the case at all. Someone organising the car park or being on the turnstyle, or even making the cuppas, is a big help. You can still get the community side of it and mix with people even if you don’t like football and that is what is really important.”

One volunteer who knows only too well about the benefits being part of the club can offer is treasurer Jane Allock.

Jane, who is also responsible for the tea bar on matchdays, moved to Selston 30 years ago and became involved with the club thanks to her son being part of the U8 team.

“When I first got here I was an outsider, but there’s a massive sense of community within the football club,” she said.

“I came down to watch my son play and at some point other volunteers asked if I could help out for a moment. You start helping and it goes from there.

“We are all passionate about the club and the community. I have been through breast cancer and this club kept me going all the way through my treatment with help and support.

“There were volunteers who were here before me to support my lad and us as a family and it is a way of giving back.

“It is about seeing the kids playing and watching the first team. It is about meeting people. We all help each other and it’s a nice club to be a part of.”