Our series of articles outlining why unpaid volunteer workforces in Non League Football deserve more respect continues.
Brighouse Town manager Paul Quinn is full of praise for his club’s volunteers
Paul Quinn says that Brighouse Town have the ethos of one for all and all for one.
Quinn believes that to build a successful club, there has to be togetherness between players, management, officials, volunteers and supporters.
That philosophy has certainly paid off as Brighouse have won the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division title under Quinn and they are currently top of the Evo Stik Division One North table.
“Put it this way, if it wasn’t for the volunteers at our club, we wouldn’t have a football club,” Quinn told Non League Yorkshire.
“I always remind the players before they go out of the work that goes out at our club during the week just to get a match on.
“There’s painting the white lines to cleaning the changing rooms. There’s a volunteer called Steve who comes at five or six o’clock in the morning to clean the changing rooms.
“There’s an endless amount of work that goes on and apart from at 3pm on a match-day, the volunteers are the most important people at the football club.
“When I’m gone and the players have gone, those people will be still here. They are the heartbeat of the club. The people behind the scenes know how grateful I am.
“I try and speak to every volunteer at every game and I’d like to think I know every single one personally.
“Without volunteers, Non League Football would be non-existent. One of the first things we did (when Quinn was appointed in 2011), was speak to everybody and get everybody on board with our ideas.
“Everybody, the management team, the players, the committee, the supporters, all have the ethos of everyone matters and everyone has an impact of what happens on a match-day.
“So any new ground boards make the ground look tidier and so that helps with new signings.
“You put a lick of paint down and it looks good to a potential new sponsor. It is all those wider implications that mean we can push on during a match-day.
“Everyone contributes, whether we win, lose or draw. I view that, for example, the person doing the food is as important as the person sticking the ball in the back of the net.”
The debate about volunteers and the amount of respect they deserve was started by a missile from Selby Town chairman Ralph Pearse.
Mr Pearse revealed that he was unhappy with a small minority of referees who do not buy raffle tickets and don’t say ‘thank you’ after getting free food and drink.
Quinn believes anyone involved in Non League Football should support clubs and that’s the stance he takes with his players.
“I would certainly be disappointed if we ever went to a game and my players didn’t go in the bar,” Quinn added.
“For example, we were at Scarborough last week and everyone of the players went into the bar after the game and bought a drink.
“The expectation is that we all go in, regardless of where we are, and contribute to the club we are going to.
“We expect that when clubs come to us. We expect them to at least buy a drink and contribute. I’m not saying they have to buy a raffle ticket, but they should at least contribute in some way.
“That’s what Non League Football is about, that’s what it is built on. It also applies to referees. Very rarely have I known a referee not come into our clubhouse. It shouldn’t happen, unless there’s been a riot or something.
“I think the hospitality we give at our club is reciprocated by most of the officials who come to Brighouse.”