Dorking Wanderers Land US Co-Owners, Target EFL — SkimNews
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- Frank Villares and Debra Tucker became co-owners of Dorking Wanderers in summer 2026, after Villares first invested through the 2024 'Rise With Us' public share scheme that raised £333,180 from 746 investors against a £180,013 target.
- James Sixsmith, a former professional ice hockey player, led a consortium that also acquired a shareholding in the club in summer 2026, with White saying their involvement will grow as the club rises.
- Dorking's YouTube channel 'Bunch of Amateurs' has more than 200,000 subscribers and the club recorded half a billion unique views last year — ten times the average Premier League club, per White.
- Dorking Wanderers have won 12 promotions since White co-founded the club with friends in 1999, peaking at 16th in the National League in 2022/23, their closest brush with the EFL.
- Marc White confirmed he does not hold the coaching badges required to manage in the EFL but said 'we'll take care of that,' adding that reaching the Football League 'will make us one of the world's greatest sporting successes.'
- Dorking sit eighth in the National League South, three points behind leaders Maidstone United, with a trip to Dover Athletic next on the schedule.
Why it matters: Dorking's new American co-owners are betting that the club's outsized global audience — half a billion unique views last year — is a commercial asset other lower-league clubs don't have, and White frames reaching the Football League as a once-in-a-generation sporting story rather than a routine promotion push.
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