1,000 games, one boss: the rise of Dorking Wanderers

Co-founder Marc White has been manager throughout Dorking Wanderers' 999-match history

In 1999, a group of five friends playing in the park decided to begin their own football club.

That club was named Dorking Wanderers and they began life in the Crawley & District League, playing at Brockham Big Field in Surrey. They were managed by player and co-founder Marc White.

Twenty-five years, 12 promotions and just one relegation later, Wanderers now play in National League South - the sixth tier of the English football pyramid.

They will celebrate their 1,000th game on Saturday. And just like the 999 others, when they face Weston-super-Mare, White will be the man in charge.

Often entertaining, outspoken and sometimes controversial, the boyhood Wimbledon fan has become one of the most recognisable faces in non-league football.

According to Dorking's executive director Kris Lea, they would not be where they are today without White.

"It's a multitude of things over the years, sheer tenacity, hard work - from putting nets up himself and paying ref's fees to where we're at now - it's unbelievable really how far he's taken the club," Lea told BBC Radio Surrey.

"It's Roy of the Rovers stuff. It's that passion on a matchday where there's guys and girls that work here who have been ever-present for many, many years and they've watched the club grow.

"We've never changed as a club, you can come down here and on a good day you'll get the chance to speak to Marc and the players. It's the romance that accompanies non-league football, and that's why we all love it and continue to do it."

Dorking's meteoric rise in their short existence took them all the way to the National League, with a 3-2 win over Ebbsfleet United sending them up to the fifth tier for the first time in their history in 2022.

Wanderers finished a respectable 16th in their first season in the National League but were relegated the following year.

'You need characters like Marc White in football'

Since 2007 the club has played its games at the 3,000-capacity Surrey FA stadium in Meadowbank, and Lea said many of their regular, match-going fans also support Premier League sides but have been drawn to the club by its unique story.

Awareness of Dorking and White's adventure has also been boosted by the docuseries 'Bunch of Amateurs', which shines a light behind the scenes of non-league football clubs in the country.

"What Marc White and the club have achieved in a quarter of a century is up there with the AFC Wimbledon story," BBC Radio Surrey sports editor Tim Durrans said.

"He says to this day that there has never been a plan, but the growth from a park team to a community club employing 40 people has taken huge drive and personality.

"Marc's also admitted he couldn't have done any of it without his colleagues and an army of volunteers that now stands at around 60."

Football fans across the country have become used to White's expletive-filled post-match interviews, and part of the aura that he has is people are never quite sure what he might say.

"One thing about Marc is he'll never sit on the fence, but he does wear his heart on his sleeve, he's not someone who will just say something for the sake of it," Lea said.

"There's a lot of people in football who, understandably, probably don't speak out like Marc because they're worried about the feedback or the implications.

"But the bottom line is you need characters like Marc White in football, who are willing to challenge things, and hopefully that can lead to nothing but positive changes."

White's Wanderers team spent two seasons in the National League before their relegation at the end of the 2023-24 campaign

Durrans described him as a "loud and at times controversial voice" but was also quick to highlight the good that White's influence has had across non-league levels.

"He's learned about football administration, and he's not been afraid to say sometimes it's not done properly and it needs to be done properly to be fair to the fans, the players and the clubs," he added.

"He played a strong role in calling for more leadership from the league during the Covid pandemic, when the very existence of some grassroots clubs was being threatened."

Dorking have had a strong first half of the season, winning 13 of their 26 matches to sit fifth in National League South.

They are four points behind leaders Torquay United, and five ahead of Weston-super-Mare in a congested race for promotion.

Lea, who has been a director at the club since 2014, said the ultimate ambition of the club is to reach the English Football League, and to do so playing at Meadowbank.

"It's a great spot and we really hope that one day we can develop this ground to the extent that it will be able to deliver league football, but also be a facility that can deliver resources that can make the town and supporters proud," he added.