{"id":289377,"date":"2023-09-29T00:34:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T00:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=289377"},"modified":"2023-09-29T00:34:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T00:34:50","slug":"meet-dorkings-manager-ex-player-chairman-owner-and-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/soccer\/meet-dorkings-manager-ex-player-chairman-owner-and-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Dorking&apos;s manager, ex-player, chairman, owner and founder!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>WONDERS OF THE PYRAMID: Meet Marc White&#8230; Dorking&#8217;s manager, ex-player, chairman, owner and founder! Surrey club are just one tier below the EFL after setting up shop only 23 years ago and renting a pitch for \u00a350<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>White&#8217;s journey began in division five of the Crawley and District league\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>He has since seen 12 promotions for his side Dorking Wanderers\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mail Sport&#8217;s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Show me a football fan who hasn\u2019t dreamt of being in charge of their club, and I\u2019ll show you a liar.<\/p>\n<p>Very few go on to make that dream a reality. That\u2019s where Marc White \u2014 manager, chairman, owner and founder of National League side Dorking Wanderers \u2014 is different.<\/p>\n<p>His journey with the club began right at the bottom of the pyramid \u2014 namely division five of the Crawley and District League.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I was just a Wimbledon fan and they were in dire straits around the time of the franchise (MK Dons),\u2019 White tells Mail Sport. \u2018So me and my friends said, \u201cWe\u2019re not going to follow Wimbledon any more\u201d, and started our own Saturday team in a park league.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I paid a fiver a week, we rented a pitch for \u00a350 and got the local pubs to give us some kit.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957583-12573371-image-m-192_1695942841732.jpg\" height=\"520\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Dorking Wanderers manager Marc White has opened up on the club&#8217;s beginnings to Mail Sport<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957677-12573371-image-a-191_1695942823210.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The club was founded just 23 years ago by the Wimbledon fan and have been promoted 12 times<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957687-12573371-image-a-190_1695942821938.jpg\" height=\"436\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Dorking now ply their trade in the National League and are dreaming of making it to the EFL<\/p>\n<p>It was as simple as that. A bunch of mates giving up their Saturdays for the love of the game. Back then, the idea of achieving anything more than a few promotions wasn\u2019t aspirational, it was downright ridiculous. After all, as White admits, there was never any long-term plan for Dorking.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward 23 years and, 12 promotions later, Wanderers are enjoying their second season in the National League, rubbing shoulders with former stalwarts of the Football League. Turns out a bloke who still works in marketing does know a fair bit about football. White has been on the touchline throughout the astronomic rise, though he did have to hang up his boots after a few promotions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019d gone from playing in the Crawley and District League where you drag the nets out, put them up and realise you\u2019ve run out of pegs, to playing live on TV at Notts County, Oldham and Wrexham in front of 10,000 last year,\u2019 he says. \u2018It\u2019s as phenomenal as you can get in terms of trajectory. It\u2019s hard not to pinch yourself and think, \u201cBlimey, this took off didn\u2019t it?\u201d. It\u2019s quite incredible.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>White has made quite the name for himself along the way. Partly because he doesn\u2019t conform to convention. He dresses in designer gear on the touchline, while the popular fly-on-the-wall YouTube series Bunch of Amateurs has revealed some of the eye-opening language he uses in the dressing room. Dorking\u2019s warts-and-all series makes those about the likes of Manchester City and Wrexham seem like carefully constructed party political broadcasts.<\/p>\n<p>White says: \u2018Do I love myself being out there, being outspoken? Not really. I\u2019m not on social media. That\u2019s not my way, but it did help the profile of the club, which obviously really does matter.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>White\u2019s dress sense results in him copping flak from visiting supporters, but he has earned their admiration through some incredible acts of generosity. Whenever a visiting side sell out their allocation at Dorking\u2019s Meadowbank stadium, he puts money behind the bar at local pubs to show his appreciation.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I like rewarding the fans that make an effort to sort of say, \u201cIf you\u2019re spending your money coming to Dorking, then I\u2019m going to buy you a beer because we appreciate it\u201d,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957685-12573371-image-a-193_1695942929209.jpg\" height=\"436\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>White has admitted that he enjoys rewarding fans and often buys them beers for attending matches<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957601-12573371-image-a-194_1695942935172.jpg\" height=\"437\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Wanderers are within a win of the play-off places after beating Ebbsfleet 1-0 on Tuesday<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We want to keep our beliefs that we have had from day one all the way through the pyramid. We\u2019re in a game where if we started again in the Crawley league, we wouldn\u2019t have a referee for four seasons due to the shortages they\u2019ve got now. I\u2019m passionate about the fact they can\u2019t leave the laws of the game alone at the top and they\u2019re making it harder for referees at the bottom of the game to officiate. They\u2019re getting more abuse as a result of that.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Refereeing is only one of a litany of topics affecting modern football that you could chew the fat on for hours with White. He still doesn\u2019t have any coaching badges. A clip of him on the Under The Cosh podcast explaining in no uncertain terms that he has no plans to get them any time soon went viral last week. White also believes the financial strife at Southend only strengthens the case for football clubs to be protected by law.<\/p>\n<p>Some have questioned whether the wheels would one day come off at Dorking, too. White has no intention of allowing that to happen. He appreciates what an integral part of the community the club has become and this summer Wanderers sold shares to supporters. \u2018You are only ever the custodian of a club. It is f****** sad to think so,\u2019 he says, \u2018but in reality, clubs are there before and after the person who runs it today. Having a sustainable fan ownership element means the club will always be in safe hands.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>As for the future? It\u2019s still very much early days but a 1-0 win at Ebbsfleet on Tuesday moved Wanderers within a win of the play-off places. While White admits there is still much work to be done, it doesn\u2019t stop him from dreaming big.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When people say \u201cWell, do you want to get to the Football League?\u201d the answer is definitely yes,\u2019 he says. \u2018We don\u2019t quite know how \u2014 we\u2019ve got a lot of work to do. We just keep making it up as we go along.\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Chaos at Scunthorpe<\/h2>\n<p>It has been another chaotic week in the world of Scunthorpe United. In announcing that owner David Hilton, who is under investigation by the FA, has withdrawn his financial backing.<\/p>\n<p>The club said they would now play their home games at Gainsborough Trinity&#8230; who then revealed they had heard nothing of that arrangement until Scunthorpe\u2019s statement. What a shambles.<\/p>\n<h2>Three to watch<\/h2>\n<p><span>Southampton v Leeds, Championship, 12.30pm LIVE on Sky Sports<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Two relegated sides who look to be heading in very different directions. Southampton have shipped 12 goals in a run of four defeats which has left boss Russell Martin under pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, things have picked up for Daniel Farke at Leeds with the Whites unbeaten in six league matches \u2014 plus \u00a336million January signing Georginio Rutter is finally looking the part.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957795-12573371-image-a-195_1695943147014.jpg\" height=\"439\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Southampton have shipped 12 goals in a run of four defeats which has left boss Russell Martin under pressure<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/29\/00\/75957809-12573371-image-a-196_1695943154438.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Things have picked up for Daniel Farke at Leeds with the Whites unbeaten in six league matches<\/p>\n<p><span>Port Vale v Bolton League One, 3pm<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It has been quite some turnaround for Port Vale and Andy Crosby has done a great job in rallying his troops since being smashed 7-0 on the opening day at Barnsley.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Five wins in eight since then have moved them up to fourth. Play-off hopefuls Bolton are the visitors to Vale Park.<\/p>\n<p>The Ammies have been the EFL\u2019s biggest underachievers so far, losing their last six games in all competitions. Given how trigger-happy Salford\u2019s owners have been in the past, you have to fear for Wood should he lose this.<\/p>\n<p>The Ammies have been the EFL\u2019s biggest underachievers so far, losing their last six games in all competitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Given how trigger-happy Salford\u2019s owners have been in the past, you have to fear for Wood should he lose this.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12573371\/WONDERS-PYRAMID-Marc-White-Dorking-Scunthorpe-Leeds-Southampton-EFL.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WONDERS OF THE PYRAMID: Meet Marc White&#8230; Dorking&#8217;s manager, ex-player, chairman, owner and founder! Surrey club are just one tier<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meet Dorking&amp;apos;s manager, ex-player, chairman, owner and founder! - Sports Love Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/soccer\/meet-dorkings-manager-ex-player-chairman-owner-and-founder\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Dorking&amp;apos;s manager, ex-player, chairman, owner and founder! - Sports Love Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WONDERS OF THE PYRAMID: Meet Marc White&#8230; Dorking&#8217;s manager, ex-player, chairman, owner and founder! 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