White's Dorking have new co-owners - and ambitions to become 'the world's local club'

Football needs charismatic characters - and Marc White is certainly one of those. It is more than likely you will have seen one of his rants go viral on social media. In that respect, he is one of a kind.

But he also has no equal in the way that he set up Dorking Wanderers with a group of friends in 1999 - and is still there, 27 years on. The chairman, the manager, the face of the club. After a recent FA Cup second qualifying round win over Southall FC, he posted from the club's X account: "Thanks for tonight to all of our loyal supporters & never forget we were in Crawley & District Division 5.

Step 17." It has been a long, long journey. One that has cost millions and taken in an incredible 12 promotions. Dorking finished 16th in the National League in 2022/23 - their best ever finish and the closest they have come to the EFL, which is the stated goal.

At this point, why would it not be? Currently, they are back in the National League South - but now White has significant additional backing. US entrepreneur Frank Villares had first become involved in Dorking in 2024, through the 'Rise With Us' campaign, which allowed the public to buy shares in the club to help them achieve their goals.

A £180,013 target was set, with £333,180 the actual figure raised by 746 investors. In the summer, he and his wife Debra Tucker were announced as co-owners and growth investors. "Frank and Debra are massive English football fans and there's this huge enthusiasm for the English pyramid in the US as that's the one thing the US money can't buy," says White, speaking to Sky Sports in a room overlooking the club's Meadowbank home.

"They were actually looking around for a bigger interest in a club. They wanted to be more involved and I was actually helping them with that, telling them what to watch out for. "They'd gone to four or five clubs and a deal fell through last minute so I just said: 'Don't forget, there's always Dorking Wanderers!' It just felt like everything had gone wrong for a positive reason.