Barry Sutton knows more than a thing or two about giving back to the community.  

The 53-year-old has been club chairman at Lancing FC for almost a year but his association with the Pitching In Isthmian League Division One South East side runs much longer, with Sutton originally just a member of the Culver Road faithful before joining the club as a volunteer community relations officer nine years ago.  

In that time, Sutton has become part of the furniture at Lancing, with his expertise and passion for the Lancers seeing him rise through the ranks until taking up his current role. 

And with Sutton’s voluntary association with the club closing in on a decade of service, the Lancing chairman revealed his pride at being able to play a part in the club's evolution on and off the pitch.  

He said: “I went along as a supporter originally and saw a few things I thought the club could do better, that I could help with, so I approached the chairman at the time and got voted onto a committee afterwards.

“About nine years ago I started as a community relations officer and since then I’ve done the commercial manager’s role. Then I became vice chairman and became chairman about a year ago.  

“The big difference now is that we’ve moved from not paying anybody at all to being a club that pays players, we’re a division higher now so we’re not just giving back to the community but we’re actually employing people.  

“We’re in a place where we’re able to have these players to actually earn a part-time living in the game and a lot of the stuff we’ve done behind the scenes has helped to get crowds increasing and reached a lot more people.  

“That’s been the big thing for me, the fact that we’ve embraced social media so much to increase the crowd numbers which has then led to us being able to be more successful on the pitch.”

Sutton is one of countless is one of countless volunteers who play important roles at non-league clubs throughout the country, with opportunities to get involved now available through the Pitching In Volunteer Hub.

Through entering their postcode, individuals can locate volunteering opportunities at nearby clubs and discover more details about which roles are available.

For Sutton, volunteers are the lifeblood of non-league football, pivotal in ensuring that non-league clubs can operate successfully and provide the matchday experiences fans, players and staff deserve.  

He added: “They’re absolutely vital. It would be impossible to run the club without volunteers.  
“We’ve got everybody from turnstile operator to the club’s secretary and myself, a whole group of people working behind the scenes to make things work properly and safely and in a way that’s positive for our club and the community.

“The club just would not be able to exist without the team of volunteers we have.” 

Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/