Welcome to Through the Turnstile, this series of features are intended to shine the light on some of non-leagues leading stars. This time we are looking at Quorn FC a team who are absolutely flying this season and could well be the most in-form team that have ever been featured on the website to date. Sitting top of the table with a ridiculous +50 goal difference after just 26 games and 19 points clear of 2nd placed Corby Town.

They have only lost once this season, last weekend, however they bounced straight back yesterday with a 1-0 win over Sporting Khalsa – an incredible effort!

Let’s get stuck into finding out a little more about Quorn!

A brief history of the club.

The club was founded in 1924 by attendees of the local Wesleyan Chapel and accordingly was named Quorn Methodists F.C., changing its name in 1952. In 1937 the club joined the Leicestershire Senior League. Immediately after World War II they played in the Central Division, and then from 1948 in Division 2 after a league re-organisation. Quorn won this division in 1950 and then followed up by winning the first division the following season.

Over the next fifty years the club moved up and down between the divisions on four separate occasions, finally cementing their place in the renamed Premier Division in the late 1990s, before claiming the league title, and with it promotion to the Midland Alliance in 2001.

In 2003 the club was the only one at its level to sell a player to a Football League team, when Luke Varney moved to Crewe Alexandra for £50,000. Dion Dublin also once played for the club.

In the 2006–07 season they finished 3rd in the Midland Alliance and, due to the expansion of the Northern Premier League First Division into two regional divisions, were therefore accepted into the Northern Premier League Division One South. In May 2007 the club received a £500000 windfall after Luke Varney’s £2,000,000 move from Crewe to Charlton Athletic.

In 2011 Quorn won the Westerby Cup for the first time with a 5–4 victory over Hinckley United at Walkers Stadium under the management of Lawrie Dudfield, but were relegated from the Northern Premier League Division One South during the same season.

John Folwell was appointed as their new manager in May 2013, joining from local rivals Barrow Town. He resigned in January 2015 due to disagreements with the chairman. Two time former manager Dougie Keast was agreed to take over until the end of the 2014–15 season.

Dougie Keast remained at the helm until December 2017, when former Hinckley AFC manager Carl Abbott was appointed, joining the club from Northern Premier Division Market Drayton Town. On Wednesday 8 May 2019 – Carl Abbott left Quorn AFC to join Evesham United FC.

Following The COVID-19 Outbreak – The 2019/2020 playing season was expunged. Quorn was in first place in the United Counties league (Step 5) when the football season closed officially on the 16th March 2020.

Fast forward to 2024 and Ryan Beswick, originally signed as just a player, decided to step up and take the reins (whilst continuing to play himself) when Ant Carney decided to step away from the club. In his first season things have been going well and he will be desperate to continue the electric start to the season and put his name in the Quorn history books forever.

(Source: https://www.quornfc.co.uk/history-1 )

Club legends (as told by Adam Etheridge & Liam Turner)

Stuart Turner – Now in his late 80s, no one person has meant more to this club, or potentially any club, than Stuart Turner. Stuart and his family have roots in the village that go back beyond the birth of the football club. As a young man Stuart not only lined up for the Reds but would be Manager of the Under 18s for a while as well. With those days behind him, he became the Chairman, and has forged the path for the club for over 40 years.

In the mid-nineties Stuart moved the club from Warwick Avenue, having outgrown the old site. Purchasing the land on Farley Way, he oversaw the building of the stadium that we still call home, renovating it several times over the decades to keep it up there with the best facilities in step four. One of his best pieces of business was the sale of Luke Varney.

Although the initial fee to Crewe Alexandria wasn’t the most impactful, but still a significant windfall for a non-league club, it was the sell-on clause that he inserted that transformed the club. When Charlton Athletic paid £2.5M for Varney, Stuart’s masterstroke of the 20% sell-on clause meant a half a million pound windfall that was invested in a new stand and an extension for the clubhouse. The sale of land behind the clubhouse was invested in the stadium 3G pitch. As well as Stuart, his son Ian would go on to represent Quorn and his Grandson Liam would play over 400 times, scoring over 100 goals for the club, where he is now General Manager

Ian Turner –  The son of Chairman Stuart is Quorn’s all-time leading goal scorer. Playing for many league clubs at the start of his career including Stoke City & Chesterfield, Ian would also go on to represent Burton Albion and Kettering Town, amongst many others. His time at Quorn began in the early 90’s, around the same time the club moved to their new ground at Farley Way, which he also helped to construct.

He was made Club Captain and in the 1995/96 season led the Reds to the Leicestershire Senior League Division One title, where they remained unbeaten all season winning 33 of their 36 games. He was also the league’s top scorer with an impressive 61 goals that season. Other titles included the Coalville Charity Cup in the 1996/97 season as the club enjoyed a purple patch.

More silverware came in the season of 2000/01 when Quorn won the Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division title, doing the double with the League Cup. Towards the end of his playing career, he mixed playing for the first team and reserves, and in his last game for the club he won the Reserve Challenge Trophy beating Tamworth Reserves 2-0 in 2003/04. His last act as a player for Quorn was to be substituted and to be replaced by his son Liam.

(Liam would go onto make over 400 appearances for Quorn, scoring over 100 goals. He is now General Manager at the club. No pressure but we’re just waiting on his son Quinn to be a fourth generation of Turner’s to play for the Club.)

Throughout his time at Quorn he was also joint manager of the under 18s team, alongside his Father Stuart, helping coach many players who would go on to play for the first team including Luke Varney, who went on to have a successful career in the Football League and Premiership.

These days Ian is still very much part of the club, helping out with any maintenance work that needs doing round the ground, such as recently installing our new kitchen.

Kit

2024 /2025 Replica Kit – £30 Adults & £25 Children

To Order – Pick up an order form at the ground or email quornfootballclub@gmail.com

Stadium info

The Stotto Stadium (LE12 8RB)
Capacity – 1477 (396 💺)
Number of stands – 2 (One Seated & One Covered Terrace)
3G Pitch

Entry Price

Matchday Tickets
Adult – £10
Concessions – £8
Under 16’s – Free

Season ticket prices*
Adult – £150
Concessions – £110
Under 16’s – Free (no season ticket required)

*cover all 21 Northern Premier League matches, and also any home preseason matches in July 2024

Matchday Programme
£2 printed

Stadium Shop

Well for a club who consider themselves a village club – they offer an impressively wide range of items:

• Caps
• Bucket Hats
• Bobble Hats
• Scarves
• Mugs
• Pin Badges

The products are all sold within the clubhouse so if you are attending and fancy a drink, you might well want to consider picking up yourself a bobble hat and a couple of pin badges at the same time… why not!

They look amazing and all of the funds raised through their sales goes back in to the clubs coffers to help them with the running costs and fund improvements as a football club. Win win for everyone!

Plus another brilliant idea just brought into the club is this:

You can now grab yourself a reusable cups, the 350ml cups cost £10.00 but you receive a free hot drink with your purchase & 50p off any hot drink when you use it at the Bradley’s Snack Shack. Further proof that both Non-league and in this case Quorn are thinking of ways to benefit their fan base in ways that some EFL clubs wouldnt even dream of.

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Itssssss pin badge corner…and check these out!

What a combo they are, yes yes and yes!

Price – £3 each , £5 for two, £6 for all three

Special Mention – Community Support/Engagement

Non-league clubs are traditionally some of the best places of community good work. Quorn are doing some incredible work themselves and that help is not only providing direct help ,an example of which is the Christmas Boxes (below). But also helping others help people.

https://twitter.com/quornafc/status/1861824857614282959?s=46

What do I mean by that? Well exactly this…

Club secretary Adam Etheridge and chairman Stuart Turner were approached by Sue Wylie, her children Jonny and Zoe Handley, and Jonny’s partner Jo Musson, to use the club’s kitchen facilities to prepare hot meals to give away to those who needed them.

Working with Loughborough-based Falcon Support Services, on the last Friday of every month the family enjoy one another’s company while preparing the food they later transport to the charity.

Initially paying for food themselves and relying on donations, the club successfully applied for additional support through the Trident Community Foundation, set up by Northern Premier League partners Pitching In, to do more for their local community.

Helping people nowadays is needed more than ever as everyday life gets tougher and tougher for so many people. So well done to everyone making a difference out there and well done to Quorn for being that vehicle for change and support.

Drinks

Now I know many of you are interested in where you can grab yourself a drink or 4!

Well here it is, the old school clubhouse is where you need to be if you are itching for a drink or just for a little sit down in the warm before and after with the football on the big screen.

Having recently taken in a delivery of a whole host of new tables and chairs the space feels inviting. The clubhouse is capable of hosting up to 200 people and coupled with a large car park, it really is an ideal clubhouse for outside of a match day too (birthday party anyone?)

Food

Also located inside the clubhouse, next to the bar is the food hatch where you can grab all of the grub that you desire!

What kind of food I hear you ask… well you can grab yourself some Chips, a Chip Cob, Burgers, Cheeseburgers, Hot Dogs & Pies (Steak or Chicken & Mushroom).

On the horizon is a vegan option (which is surely a no-brainer for Quorn).

If however you are just looking for a snack you can head to Bradley’s Snack Shack which serves snacks, hot drinks, soft drinks as well as alcohol.

There are future plans for an outdoor catering stand (which will be in the area that will be for away fans if the club have to implement segregation for any matches), this new catering stand will mean that the Snack Shack will then become the club shop. Bright plans for a club that has one eye clearly on the future and knows what they need to provide their fans.

Now let’s all gather round and check out how Quorn FC fare on the main league tables…The Fab 4!

Well they make the cut in all 3/4 leagues, their tea priced at £2 sees them miss out on that table. And for the other 3 it seems that Quorn will have to settle for middle of the road on the Fab 4 tables, a respectable outing but nothing in comparison to their on field position.

Top 3 current players (as told by fan Jason Thickpenny)

Silvio Bello, Paddy Webb & Cain Noble

Can I not pick 11? If you were to push me…

Silvio Bello – so consistent, rarely puts a foot wrong at the back, quick going forward, reads the game well. You know 1 on 1 he’s not getting beaten. 

Paddy Webb – Goal machine, only needs 1 chance. Doesn’t matter if he has 70 quiet minutes, you know he’ll score. 

Cain Noble – He is everything you want in a player, covers every blade of grass, wins the ball everywhere and knows where the goal is

Press Play!

The club have a Youtube channel but unfortunately it has sat dormant for around 3 years, its quite the shame as looking through their channel they have some really good highlights videos uploaded as well as some post-match interviews.

If you have experience or are looking for some experience in this area, reach out to the club and help them with your extra pair of hands to revive this channel!

Views from the Staff

Q) What is it that you really enjoy about media work for a non league club like Quorn?

There’s a lot of good work and some great stories to be told in non-league football but for whatever reason they aren’t spoken about enough. I love being able to share those stories and amplify the good work being done in non-league by being part of the media work.

Q) What does your job generally entail and what are the challenges posed to you?

There are lots of different parts to the role. One of the most important jobs I have is in publicising games and encouraging people to come along. As well as that I liase with local media outlets such as BBC Radio Leicester and the Loughborough Echo to try and get as much exposure for the club as I can. And then on matchday there is all the usual stuff of match updates on social media, match reports, post match interviews, all the things that people like to look at or listen to after having been to see a game.

I guess the two biggest challenges for me currently are how to attract more people to games, what do people need to see to attract them to come along and where might they see that information. For instance what social media sites or web pages might they be looking at. And I wouldn’t call it a challenge but one of the most important things you need to do is to build up a rapport with the management team and the players. It’s important that there is a level of trust that they know they can do interviews and I won’t twist what they say, or that they know that if they have a bad game I won’t call them out all over social media or in the local newspaper match report and by getting that trust it makes the whole media side of a club a lot more efficient.

Q) What would you say to someone to convince them to give a Quorn matchday a go?

I’d strong encourage anyone who had ever thought about coming down to Quorn to give it a go. The supporters and volunteers are all really friendly and they will certainly make you feel welcome. And we’ve got a really special team this season under player/manager Ryan Beswick and they’re still unbeaten in the league this season (at time of writing) and they deserve all the support they can get.

Q) Why is non-league football so special?

Non-league football is certainly very special and I loved it from my very first game three and a half years ago. There is such a community feel at games and you get to know people and see the same faces every week. And that familiarity extends to the players and management as well. In a way you don’t get higher up the leagues, the players will get to know you and have a chat with you on matchdays which adds something extra as well.

And non-league football is entertaining, I think people who haven’t been can have an idea in their head of what it’s like that it’s not interesting or of low quality but that certainly isn’t the case. Non-league football is entertaining and enjoyable and there are so many non-league football supporters I know who have stopped going to watch their favourite professional side and start going to non-league because of how much better it is

Q) What does the role of General manager consist of at a club like Quorn?

It’s basically the day to day running of the club. During the summer it was to sort and order all the playing kit, training kit, tracksuits, training equipment, staff uniforms etc aswell as trying to generate as much sponsorship as possible, which went better than I expected. Then when the season started it is to make sure everything is in place for a match day which consists of ordering stock and merchandise. We are currently looking to refurbish our clubhouse lounge area so I’m shopping around for new tables, chairs, carpets etc.

I also help with the treasury side of the club so after a match day or evening party I will collect the bar and gate takings and arrange them to be deposited at the bank aswell as making sure all the staff, bills and invoices are paid on time.

I’m a builder by trade so I also do any maintenance that is needed on site, for example we had afew broken roof tiles which I replaced recently and in the summer I built our new outside Snack Shack where we sell refreshments and merchandise. And I’m always in contact with our secretary Adam Etheridge to manage any pitch bookings or other requests and also our bar and kitchen staff for any room hire bookings.

We also hire out our facilities to Pro Direct Leicester Academy during the week so I like to show my face at the ground to see if there is anything that they need assistance with.
It’s the most full time, volunteered job I’ve ever had!

Q) Is most of your work done inbetween matchdays or is a matchday just as busy?

For me personally most of my work is done during the week. I still play at weekends so I’m hardly ever around on a Saturday afternoon so like I said before I have to make sure every thing is in place for the staff during the week.

Q) Are there some challenges you face that are unique to non league?

I think like most non league clubs you rely heavily on volunteers to help run the club on a match day, stewards, car park attendants, ball boys etc and we’re no different. It is a massive part of running a club and you always need an extra pair of hands to help out.

Q) What is the biggest challenge and also the biggest reward in your role?

Biggest challenge I would say is making sure we are generating enough so we are able to pay our staff and all the bills each month. Some months are better than others so it’s never straight forward, when you think your doing well and are on top of things there always seems to be an unexpected bill round the corner to keep you on your toes!

Biggest award is not just seeing the team performing so well on the pitch but also to see our attendances improve over the last year. When I do get a chance to see a game it’s great to see so many new and old faces there and it’s also great to see so many young fans enjoying the game aswell. We have just set up a new junior section at the club and we try to get at least one team to be the match day mascots each week.

Q) Why should more people come to watch Quorn play?

After playing for Quorn for 20 years and now involved behind the scenes I’m always gonna be biased towards us but we do have some of the best facilities in the county with plenty of free parking, two large undercover stands aswell as a large clubhouse where we sell hot and cold food and drinks so whatever the weather you can enjoy an afternoon of football. It also helps that the team are doing so well at the moment so you get to see a good standard of football aswell.

View from the fans

Q) What attracted you to the club initially and why are you now both season ticket holders?

As former season ticket holders at Forest we became disillusioned with the money side of league football and were drawn to the local community feel of our village club. We became season ticket holders this year to show our financial support and for the great value this represents for regular spectators

Q) What is special about a matchday at Quorn?

The whole match day experience friendly and welcoming staff,excellent clubhouse facilities match day food and drink top quality and excellent VFM and being so close to the field of play

Q) What one player do you both enjoy watching the most week in, week out?

Really difficult to single out one player the team as a unit have been fantastic all season but we are player sponsors of Jasper Tetlow and it was great to see his all round performance against Darlaston at the weekend

Q) What could league football learn from non-league football ?

Relaxed friendly atmosphere with easy mingling of fans of both teams with a bit of friendly banter but non threatening. Difficult to translate to the league game due to legal restrictions on segregation and alcohol sales but a greater focus on home grown talent and family friendly initiatives and lower prices would all help

Q) Quorn FC means … to me?

Our family friendly and community supportive club whilst still being but still being highly competitive on the pitch

Q) Where would you like to finish this season and what are your hopes for the future?

Early days but hopeful of automatic promotion to step 3 where we hope we could consolidate and be competitive in the higher league. This would be a great achievement for a village club of our size

Q) What do Quorn mean to you?

More to the point Saturdays would be meaningless without Quorn FC in my life! 

Q) What does a matchday look like for you, how special are they?

Depends on if it is home or away. Home it’s arrive 2.30, Pint of Worthington s for me and a Diet Coke for my son and a go on Golden Goal which I’ve never won in 4 years! Sue’s lovely steak pie chips and gravy at half time. 

If it’s away, Starbucks on the way, sample a local chippy on the way home. 

All week we wait for match day, each one is special because of the way we play football, you always know some amazing is going to happen, you just don’t know what.

Q) Do you have any pre-game rituals you swear by?

Not especially, but if we are struggling for a goal I usually go to the loo…. guarantee that’s when we will score then.

Q) What are your hopes for the season ahead?

Win the League obviously. Go un beaten all season maybe?  Honestly though, I don’t care. Our boys every week out work our opponents and entertain us, which brings results. I hope we do win the league, but it’s all about the ride, which at the moment is tremendous.

Q) If you could sign any current player from a rival team in your league, who would you choose and why?

No one outside of main 11 is getting in our first team , but of course Sam Muggleton from Grantham Town FC..that throw in…. blimey 

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Future plans as told by Chairman, Stuart Turner

Q) What does the 5 year plan for the club look like?
To be perfectly frank, we don’t have a five year plan as such. We just try to put the best product we can on the pitch whilst continuing to run the club sustainably. We were a little overbudget last season because we had virtually no sponsorship income, but we’ve worked very hard to rectify that and are on schedule to recoup those loses this season.

Ultimately, we want to be playing in step three, up there at the highest level of non-league football in Leicestershire. I think we’re already punching above our weight but with the football that we’re playing on the pitch and with the facility we have off it, we’re starting to attract supporters from outside the village, which enables the club to grow.

Our season ticket sales, whilst still modest, grew by almost 200% this season over last, which is testament to what we’ve been doing over the past three years. We’ve engaged with the community more, brought in a boys junior section, and are adding a girls section this year with the launch of our Wildcats programme.

Q) What are the future plans for:

Stadium
We’re currently making minor upgrades to the facility to get ourselves ready for step three, whether that happens this season or not. We already have a stadium that we’re proud of, but anything we can do to improve it makes for a better experience for supporters whenever they visit. We’re also exploring grants to revamp the clubhouse and make it a more appealing space for people to enjoy on a matchday as well as for private hire functions.

Academy
The Academy, whilst formerly run by ourselves, is now independent. Although we work closely with Pro:Direct Academy Leicester we’re no longer directly involved with how it’s run or who coaches there etc. There’s a good working relationship with Heart of England Training, who oversee the Academy but they just hire the facilities from ourselves and rely on us for help with County FA administration etc.

Recruitment
Ideally, as we continue to grow and progress through the leagues, we need to recruit more staff off the pitch, whether that’s additional stewards or bar staff etc. The average attendance has gone up by almost 50% over each of the past two seasons, so we’re already starting to become stretched.

On the pitch, the Manager is given a budget that the club can afford and he’s knows to work within that. Ryan has done a superb job with recruitment and has built a fantastic squad that currently have us competing at the top end of the table. The Chairman trusts Ryan to do his job and, for the most part, allows him to get on with it.

Community projects
Ad mentioned above, one thing that the staff did take upon themselves was to start a monthly meals for the homeless programme. On the last Friday of the month, they get together in the club kitchen and cook around 80 meals that are then taken to a local homeless centre for distribution.

The staff were initially doing this out of their pocket, on top of the time that they were already giving to the project. We have since been able to achieve funding to support the initiative. The Trident Community Foundation accepted a grant application and provide enough funding to cover the cost of ingredients for the meals. We’ve also just started taking donations for Christmas boxes for the homeless.
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Impressive.

There is not a lot to not be liked with what is going on at Quorn, on the pitch the club is absolutely flying and off of it they are clearly just as well equipped by a dedicated group of staff members all pulling in the same direction.

After just falling to their first defeat of the season, I will be watching on in interest to see if Quorn can continue their fine form for the rest of the season and achieve promotion this year, something which after compiling this feature I genuinely feel like they deserve, I have been impressed with everyone I have spoken to and everything I have seen.

If you didnt know who they were before then you do now, keep your eyes peeled for some potentially really exciting times ahead for Quorn!

Until next time!