Marc White's Dorking Wanderers rack up half a billion views as social media fuels non-league boom
From the baseball caps to the foul-mouthed touchline rants, Marc White has become one of the most recognisable faces in non-league football — and he now has the viewing figures to prove it.
The founder, owner and manager of Dorking Wanderers is the star of 'Dorking Uncovered', a documentary series on the YouTube channel 'Bunch of Amateurs', run by Rich Phippen, which has charted the club's remarkable journey from a group of mates paying a fiver each to rent a pitch to the National League South. Promoted 12 times since being founded 26 years ago, their only relegation came in the National League in 2024.
White, 52, is the longest-serving manager in the top six tiers of English football — a status he jokes is always at risk with behind-the-scenes cameras following their every move.
"I love the fact that so many people watch, we had half a billion views in 2025," White tells BBC Sport. "I'm involved in the edit because if I wasn't, I would probably be banned constantly. I'll probably be the first football manager to get a lifetime ban."
Filling the gap left by local papers
Social media now plays a huge role in promoting non-league football. With local newspapers' ability to cover the game strangled by dwindling resources, clubs have taken it upon themselves to expand their reach on their own platforms — from goal highlights and interviews to in-depth features such as Dorking Uncovered.
Those around the game believe it builds stronger relationships with the community, expands marketing opportunities and helps advertise matches — and the attendances are growing. In Dorking's division, the National League South, average crowds reached 1,221 during the 2024-25 season, a 134% rise on the average a decade before.
White started Dorking Wanderers just outside the M25 radius with his friends because they were bored of paying for Premier League matches and simply wanted to play. He believes the rising costs of watching top-tier football — whether through tickets or TV subscriptions — are pushing more and more people towards non-league. But first, they have to know where to find it.
"I think a lot of people underestimate how little people know about their local football club," said White. "And when you're now talking about decades of people that have never picked up a newspaper, and that target audience probably watches the Premier League and they have no idea what's going on near their local high street, where probably the beer is cheaper, the travel certainly cheaper, and they know a lot more people there.
"And it's quite a social connection for them. So, you know, I think for me that the power of social media largely is taking the clubs to their own target market and also taking the target market to the clubs. It's kind of connecting the two."
Streamers, YouTubers and the Wrexham effect
There are other ways the online world is filling terraces, too. Aaron Hunt gained thousands of followers streaming on Twitch about his success with his local club Daisy Hill FC, based in Westhoughton, Bolton, on the management simulation game Football Manager, and was invited to become chairman of the North West Counties League side. After he streamed one of his visits to a game to more than one million people, the club's stadium is now sponsored by YouTuber AngryGinge and called GingePower Stadium.
Then there is the Wrexham factor, with others inspired by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac leading the Welsh club from non-league all the way to the Championship. One of the latest celebrity names to invest in a team outside the Football League is YouTuber KSI, who bought a stake in Dagenham & Redbridge this year while claiming he can take them to the top tier.
"Just more eyeballs, more exposure," said White. "We've seen a flurry of well-known names. But obviously, there's only one thing better than a well-known name, and that is a well-known name that's social media connected. And KSI, he's the perfect candidate for that.
"And it benefits every single club in the league because he's bringing attention to the product. And that's great.
"We spoke briefly when we played them, but I think it's all a bit of an eye-opener for him, really. There's no glamour. It will be just great to see the impact that has over the period of time. But I think it's brilliant."
The dream: the Football League — via Wembley
For White and Dorking, the ultimate goal is to reach the Football League. They are two promotions away and have started this season in mixed form, averaging a crowd of around 1,600 at their Meadowbank home in Surrey.
"We think that getting to the Football League would make us one of the world's — it sounds mental — but we do think it'll make us one of the world's most recognised sports successes," said White. "I mean, if we go anywhere in America, who are obsessed with the English football pyramid, they know us.
"I've always wanted to win at Wembley, too. So maybe if we could go up via the play-offs, that would tick two boxes."
Controversy, edits and staying off social media
White has courted controversy along the way. Last year, he was given a six-match touchline ban for a comment he made on a podcast about women. And despite being widely shared on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, White is not on social media himself.
"I get plenty of clips sent to me," he said. "But if you saw some of them that get edited out, I'd be out of the game.
"I've never been bothered about the cameras. If they went tomorrow, it would be all about the football like it always has been.
"I love the fact that it resonates with loads of people that might have played non-league football, Sunday football, might have given up, might have followed a team, no longer in love with the game. That's our market. It's like people that fell out of love with the game, people that have become disillusioned with the Premier League, the TV sport, they're the people that love us the most."
How fans are falling in love with football again
For all the celebrity investment and viral moments, White insists the appeal of clubs like his comes back to something simpler: belonging. Cheaper beer, cheaper travel and a genuine social connection are drawing supporters away from the Premier League product and back towards their local high street — and social media is the bridge connecting the two.
"How fans are falling in love with football again" could be the tagline for the whole movement — and with half a billion views and rising attendances behind him, White is living proof that the lower levels of the English football pyramid have never had a bigger audience.