The story of Calogero Scannella’s rise to become one of the co-owners of Walton & Hersham is a fascinating one.
Still in his early 20s, he and a group of friends took over the running of the Pitching In Southern League Premier South club whilst in their teens.
It’s a journey that began when his dad took him along to a game at the age of five, but the club that he returned to during a break in his university studies some years later was very different.
Fighting relegation and playing to sub-50 crowds, the club was on its knees. Scannella knew he had to do something to help.
He mobilised a group of school friends and put the idea of buying the club to them. It took some persuading but eventually seven of them were able to purchase the club for a nominal fee in the summer of 2019, taking on all of the liabilities in the process.
There may have been initial scepticism, but they have proved that they mean business and have lifted the fortunes of the club both on and off the field over the past five years, including two promotions and a place just outside the play-offs at the end of last term.
Some tough decisions have had to be made along the way; it’s certainly not been all plain-sailing and it’s taken plenty of hard work and determination, but Scannella is loving every minute of it.
“I’ve been having to pinch myself recently when I realised this will be my sixth season in charge of Walton & Hersham,” he admitted to us. “It only seems like yesterday that I was sitting at a table charging £2 entry for our first pre-season friendly against Hastings U18s, for which we had an attendance of 12.
“The journey since 2019 has been unbelievable and has taken me through every possible emotion. What I can safely say is there’s nothing I’d rather be doing in life.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you have to constantly learn and adapt. I truly believe that there is something to pick up from every club you visit and as long as you can accept a different way of thinking, there are always things to improve.
“As for whether I am still enjoying it; absolutely! It might be mad of me to say but every year I seem to have more energy to grow this football club.”
Finding themselves amongst the leading pack for much of last season, they ended up just three points shy of making the play-offs.
“I would asses last season as a huge success,” he continued. “We finished just outside of the play-offs in a new League and our crowds increased!
“Having been at the club through Step 6 to Step 3, naturally the step up to Step 3 has been the biggest. Some of the grounds we went to last season really showed the magnitude of football clubs we now compete against and we have to work harder than ever to compete on a footballing level whilst maintaining financial stability at the club.
“The Southern League is a tough league and everyone knows it. Last season only Hungerford Town came down from The National League South, but this season we have welcomed Taunton Town, Havant & Waterlooville and Gloucester City.
“Solely from that I can expect this season to be even more competitive than last. I think last season showed this is a league in which anyone can hurt anyone on their day and we need to be ready for that.
“It’s been a busy summer to put it lightly, with change quite literally everywhere you look. That brings many more challenges, but it also brings a lot of opportunity and excitement, so let’s see what happens!”
We ended by talking about the short and long-term vision that Scannella has for the club.
“As it stands, I barely have a plan for next week,” he said with a smile. “I’ve just been forced to start using a Google calendar as I keep forgetting meetings!
“I think ultimately, we want to create something that our community and catchment area can be proud of. A place that can provide good entertainment for an affordable price.
“The fixtures are now out so the start of the season is getting ever nearer and we can’t wait to keep moving this club in the right direction.”
IMAGE: Fraser Logan
