Social Media Fuels Non-League Football Rise

Photo Credit: Paul Thompson via When Saturday Comes

Non-League football has gone many years without any form of coverage in terms of television or national newspaper features. Clubs below the National League never had any light on them. Now all of a sudden there are clubs such as Isthmian North Division side Witham Town hitting attendances of 1,203, or Isthmian Premier Dulwich Hamlet hitting whopping attendances of up to 3,000. Both clubs compete in steps 3 and 4 of the non-league pyramid. This poses the question: what has sparked this surge in non-league?

The answer is simple... social media.

According to the non-league football paper, social media platforms have allowed clubs to extend their reach way beyond just their local area. This proves just how vital social media has been for the growth of non-league football and emphasises how much more it has given compared to any possible marketing campaign.

Non-league clubs such as Dulwich Hamlet, Dorking Wanderers, and Hashtag United, just to name a few, have all been pivotal in terms of driving forward the showcasing of non-league football through social media.

Dorking Wanderers' partnership with Bunch Of Amateurs has formed the hit series 'Dorking Uncovered'. Videos of Dorking manager Marc White have hit views of over 4 million on social media platforms, as reported by the non-league football paper.

Who could ever have thought a non-league football manager could be of so much interest that 4 million people view the content?

It doesn't stop with Dorking Wanderers, Hashtag United started as a 'kickabout with friends', and due to the interest and popularity generated through social media, they were able to make the call to join non-league and form Hashtag United.

Fast forward to the present day, they are a Step 4 non-league football club. And how is that possible? The power of social media.

The other side of the coin here is that social media can turn non-league matches into an opportunity just to get content rather than enjoy the genuine non-league experience.

I do not think so. Any new eyes on non-league football is a step in the right direction as fans start to value authenticity over sensationalised hype.

Non-league football clubs must capitalise on this current relationship with social media. It is the epicentre of growing non-league football at this stage of time.

The more clubs that merge themselves into social media, the more fans through that turnstile, the more we can all continue to celebrate and enjoy the growth of non-league football.