By james art The 53-year-old has been club chairman at Lancing FC for almost a year, but his association with the Pitching In Isthmian League Division One South East goes back much longer, with Sutton initially just a member of Culver Road before joining the club as volunteer community relations officer nine years ago.
During that time, Sutton became part of the Lancing outfit, with his experience and passion for the Lancers seeing him rise through the ranks to take up his current role.
And with Sutton’s voluntary association with the club approaching a decade of service, the Lancing chairman revealed his pride at being able to play a part in the club’s evolution on and off the pitch.
He said: “I originally went as a supporter and I saw a few things that I thought the club could do better that I could help with, so I approached the chairman at the time and then I was voted into a committee.
“About nine years ago I started as a community relations officer and since then I have been in the role of sales manager. Then I became vice president and became president about a year ago.
“The big difference now is that we’ve gone from not paying anyone at all to a club that pays players, we’re now a division higher, so we’re not just giving back to the community, we’re actually recruiting people.
“We’re in a place where we can have these players actually making a part-time living in the game, and a lot of the things we’ve done behind the scenes have helped grow the crowds and reach a lot more people.
“That was the big thing for me, the fact that we embraced social media so much to grow our audience, which then led to us being able to be more successful on the ground.”
Sutton is one of countless is one of countless volunteers playing important roles at non-league clubs across the country, with opportunities to get involved now available through the Pitching In Volunteer Hub.
By entering their postcode, people can find volunteering opportunities at nearby clubs and find out more details about available roles.
For Sutton, volunteers are the lifeblood of non-league football, key to ensuring that non-league clubs can operate successfully and deliver the matchday experience that fans, players and staff deserve.
He added: “They are absolutely vital. It would be impossible to run the club without volunteers.
“We have everyone from the turnstile operator to the club secretary and myself, a whole bunch of people working behind the scenes to make things work properly and safely and in a way that is positive for our club and the community.
“The club simply could not exist without the team of volunteers we have.”
Find volunteer opportunities at your local club by visiting