Elsa Jones never thought she would be managing a viral social media account when she agreed to volunteer at her non-league football club.

But Hanwell Town FC has since become a second home for Newcastle United fans who resonate with the black and white stripes of the shirt.

The West London club was founded by a group of Newcastle supporters in 1920 who moved to Hanwell for work.

Jones joined the club's committee back in 2017 as a volunteer, progressing to the role of marketing manager in 2020, and has seen the club’s social media following explode since enhancing the links between Hanwell and the Premier League giants.

She said: "We've had quite a few Newcastle fans find us.

"We went viral in January and we gained about 14,000 followers in about three days which was absolutely brilliant.

"They would come to us and buy our replica shirts and that has helped us out a lot.”

 

Jones is one of thousands of people across the country who volunteer at their local non-league club, performing a vital role to keep clubs running by helping in the club shop and being on the gate on game days.

And stories like Hanwell Town's focus on giving back to the community are at the heart of Pitching In’s newly-launched Volunteer Hub, where clubs can advertise vacancies to make it easier for people to get involved.

Jones said: "We do a lot of work with our local food bank, our soup kitchen and homeless shelters. In January we did a month of giving, so you bring a coat or a blanket and the next week you bring food.

"We're really involved in our community and I think that's really important."

Jones' experience as a volunteer for Hanwell Town has only brought good memories, winning awards and meeting famous faces like Peter Crouch.

She said: "I won a couple of awards in 2020, from the FA and the Middlesex FA, and I would have never done that if it wasn't down to my volunteering at Hanwell.

"Definitely get involved, it's great. You will meet people who you will love for the rest of your life.

"It's so welcoming, everyone would love input and everyone would love help. I think a lot of clubs really do need help but don't really know how to ask or where to go to and ask, so any help that you can give them would be great."

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/