Focus on the volunteers

When David goes to a match, his pictures will be of everything but the action: stands, supporters, tea bars, the views beyond the boundary walls, dugouts (his 2006 book Dugouts, which pictured exactly what it said on the tin, is a cult classic), maybe a corner flag or two.
His work has made him one of the most respected photographers on the non-league scene and in 2011 the Football Supporters Federation named him Amateur Photographer of the Year.

David’s new book is called Love Not Money and this time concentrates on human subjects: as the title suggests, the volunteers who mean so much to all non-league football clubs.

He presents more than 70 portraits of club helpers ranging from chairman to turnstile operators, pictured in their natural surroundings. For example, Corinthian-Casuals twins Brian and Roger Phillips are shown in the stand they built themselves.

Each portrait is accompanied by a brief history of the subject’s football involvement, and by a comment from the man himself (or the woman herself) explaining how they became involved, and why they love the game at our level.

Although the featured volunteers come from clubs as far afield as Barrow, around half of them are connected with Ryman League clubs including one very lucky choice: Hastings United director-groundsman Simon Rudkins, whose pitch was so highly praised during the television broadcast of last week’s FA Cup tie.

Love Not Money is a most welcome addition to the non-league football bookshelf: it costs £12 plus £2 postage from www.centrecirclepub.co.uk.