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“Fans are the life and soul of non-league football.”
A view held by Morpeth Town centre-back Callum Morris, it is one that goes beyond tribal boundaries and is embraced by all in the divisions outside of the professional game.
Supporters are of the utmost importance at this level of the sport, making up the vast majority of not only the club’s income but also a large proportion of the volunteers who help run football clubs.
Morris, who has played professional football since he was a junior in Newcastle United’s academy, has seen football from top to further down and has been taken aback by how much of a role supporters play in non-league football.
“Without the fans, their passion, their support and most importantly their dedication to making each and every club better the football pyramid wouldn’t exist,” said Morris, who plied his trade in Scottish football’s top division for a big chunk of his career to date with clubs such as Ross County and Dundee United.
“Unlike the upper echelons of English football, each and every non-league football fan can have a direct effect on their club through various volunteering opportunities that are a lifeline to most clubs.
“It really is a collective effort from everyone involved. Fans are the life and soul of non-league football.”
Morpeth have played in front of 16,245 supporters at Craik Park this season, an average of 624 across 26 matches to date.
It’s a massive rise from averaging just under 200 supporters 10 years ago when they hosted Northern League games, before their rise up the divisions to their current Pitching In NPL Premier Division status.
For Morris, signed over the summer to sustain this progress, two extended cup runs in FA competitions have been key to those attendance figures.
But it is a time for Town to capitalise on this trend and, like most non-league clubs, seek to build a platform as a community hub.
“As a club we always aim to build our attendances season by season,” said the defender.
“But, more importantly, we try to attract new fans to the club. This season has been outstanding in terms of support both home and away, aided by our two successful cup runs and hopefully this has helped create new fans for life in the local area and beyond.
“For me, the football club has to be a hub for all members of our local community. It has to be a place that is totally inclusive and caters to the needs of the fans that it serves.
“With huge investment in the club’s infrastructure recently, and the hard work of all involved at the club, we aim to become a massive part of the lives of all in Morpeth going forward.
“I feel non-league football is the foundation of the national game and should be cherished for that. I believe that more support from higher up the pyramid is needed to safeguard the future of the non-league game.”
