Non-League club ready to enjoy promotion after dark times

South Wales Guardian

4 hours ago

The Sheffield club have returned to the seventh tier for the first time since 2014, and volunteer Dave Bradley believes they will present a challenge to the established order.
Steels won promotion on penalties in the play-off final, beating Dunston, having secured their place in the play-offs on the final day of the regular season.
'I keep watching videos,' Chapeltown resident Bradley said of their dramatic victory, 'I can't really put my finger on it, but it is a bit surreal at the moment, even after this whole time.
'We went through some dark times in 2013-15 and over Covid as well, so to get promoted and all the hard work that the volunteers do, it just rewards it. It is a magical feeling.
'When our former chairman Alan Bethell finished in his role, we had just been relegated, and volunteers had to pull together.
'We all needed to have a reset moment, and it was going so well, then Covid hit, and we almost had to reset again. Now, three or four years after Covid, we are back where we should be.
'There's been a lot of preparation going on behind the scenes at the moment, we are going out there to enjoy it. When you speak to the manager, he has said he wants to enjoy it.
'We are definitely not going to make the numbers up, we are definitely going to be up there. We just go quietly as we do and get on with it.'
Bradley, who works as a warehouse manager for Lloyd & Jones, first got involved with Steels in the 2009-10 season.
Since then, he has held a myriad number of roles, now serving as the canteen manager on game day.
With 15 years of service under his belt, volunteering is something the 49-year-old encourages others to do, with opportunities available on the Pitching In Volunteer Hub.
Through entering their postcode, individuals can locate volunteering opportunities at nearby clubs and discover more details about which roles are available.
Bradley added: 'It's brilliant, you meet different people, people come and go, but most of them stop.
'But it's nice to see people on a Saturday, you get talking to the players and people, other fans and anybody else that pops along, it is really enjoyable, most of all this year.
'Volunteers will be even more important next season. We've just been talking about the fact that we need a few more volunteers helping and coming along.
'We have managed to get a few more, but we'll still need some more volunteers. It is massively important that we get these volunteers so we can keep the club going.
'It is about going out and going to see people and talk to people. If you have a crappy day at work you can get out and talk to people who are not in your usual friend group and you can talk to them about different things.
'There are a lot of positives in there and something you will only realise when you get further down the line.'
Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/