Real Bedford are hoping to turn English football on its head and volunteer Mark Anderson wouldn’t have it any other way.
Owned by local investor and Bitcoin advocate Peter McCormack since 2022, the Pirates have enjoyed a reversal of fortunes in recent years, reaching the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central in 2024 after back-to-back promotions.
Their stated eventual goal is to earn promotion to the FA Premier League and while some may scoff at such an audacious ambition, Anderson – whose remit includes selling club merchandise and overseeing the club’s IT – is adamant that the good times will keep on rolling.
“I’d never met Peter before but I was well aware of his background through following him online and I really wanted to be involved because I’m based about 20 minutes away, so Bedford are a local team,” he said. “I just really agree with the mission and the idea behind the club and what it means to a lot of people not just in Bedford but all around the world.
"I’ve met people from Australia, from the US, from the other side of Europe, who have travelled to the UK just to watch Real Bedford play and that’s fascinating.
“It’s great to be able to meet people from across the other side of the planet and have something in common with them, by following this tiny football club from Bedford with big ambitions.
“Initially the club wasn’t taken seriously but now it very much is and that comes across with how other people talk about the club and how we’re perceived locally, and we’ve been drawing bigger and bigger crowds and people are taking notice.
“The reputation of the club has seen a paradigm shift. When Peter took over, we were a couple of leagues below and now we’re getting several hundred people to each game. That’s amazing to see.”
Anderson is one of countless volunteers who play paramount roles at non-league clubs throughout the UK, 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 Anderson, volunteers are the lifeblood non-league football, essential in ensuring that clubs can operate successfully and deliver the matchday experiences that make the beautiful game what it is.
“To be honest, you can’t really function without the volunteers because there’s just too much to do,” he added. “From an event management standpoint, there are several hundreds of people on a matchday, and you need to have multiple points of contact, whether it’s on the way in, at the bar or the merch desk.
“Without volunteers to help with the coordination, it’d be a real struggle to keep the club as profitable as it could be because you’d be forced to hire more staff when really all you need is a trusted person who can hold a post and can help send people to where they need to go.
“Having a small group of volunteers that are committed, and you can rely on is super important, especially for a club with a less established history.”
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WORDS: Mohamed Hamza
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