Walton & Hersham's players celebrate promotion
Walton & Hersham start 2022-23 in the Isthmian League South Central Division after promotion from the Combined Counties League

They have more followers on TikTok than six of their competitors and their owners are younger than most of the players they sign.

Home of the world's youngest football club owners.

When they were 19 years old, Jack, Calogero, Scannella, Thomas, Bradbury, Ben, Madelin, Stephan, and Edetanlen pooled their student loans to purchase the club.

The Swans are cashing in on a rapidly growing social media presence which has resulted in shirt sales to places you have never heard of.

At home to Kennington in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup on Saturday, the young co-owners say they are going to shake up the non- league scene.

Tucker says that they all thought buying a club was crazy. How could this be possible?

"Running a club with your friends is much easier because you know you can speak what's on your mind, which you wouldn't be able to do in a professional capacity."

Walton & Herham's players celebrate a goal
Walton & Hersham play in the eighth tier of English football

'We included GCSE grades in takeover proposal'

Having won promotion to the eighth tier of English football after amassing 91 points from 38 games last season, Walton & Hersham can't be accused of being a pub team.

Seven people met at The Mill pub to discuss buying the club.

Ballon d'Or winner Sir Stanley Matthews was president of Walton & Hersham when they defeated Brian Clough's team in the 1974 FA Cup.

In 1973, they played at Wembley in front of 41,000 fans in the final of the FA amateur cup.

Alan Smith was looking to sell the club by the time it was demoted to the 10th tier.

The idea came from Calogero, according toNewton. He spoke to the owner after going to a game. He thought they were moving on.

Smith was presented with a document by the seven.

We put down the grades we had gotten.

We didn't have any money to put into this. We used student loans to finance the whole thing when we were 19 years old. There were seven of them. It was thousands of pounds each.

A team with 750,000 TikTok followers

The gates at the Elmbridge Sports Hub, where the club play, have been open since the 'Class of 2018' left school.

The young owners have used their social media skills to build a following for their club.

The video hosting service TikTok has a following of over one million, more than any other football club.

A 32-second clip posted towards the end of last season has been viewed 3.5m times.

Tucker says that they posted short matchday vlogs throughout last season.

People from all over the world bought into our story.

The Swans had a partnership with a Manchester company to distribute their kits.

The partnership resulted in the sale of replica kits to more than 30 countries in six continents, including the Atlantic island of St Pierre and Miquelon.

Tucker says it's crazy for a non-league club to be able to sell kits around the world.

The people are interested in what we are trying to do. We should reach one million followers by the end of October.

Jean-Baptiste Borotra wears a Walton & Hersham shirt in his native St Pierre and Miquelon
Jean-Baptiste Borotra wears a Walton & Hersham shirt in his native St Pierre and Miquelon

Turning up in boardrooms in replica shirts

The past three years have not been easy but the young co-owners are learning.

Tucker says that they made changes to the club badges but didn't consult the fans. The club's traditions are proud of them.

We gained experience and put it to good use by communicating with them early on.

In the Combined Counties League, the arrival of the young co-owners has been a topic of discussion. The Isthmian League South Central Division starts in 2022-23.

"We were at a neutral ground for a league cup final in May and the dress code was suit and tie but it must have been 25C," saysNewton

We wore replicas of shirts and shorts. We were not offered any drinks. They are surprised how young we are when a team comes to us.

"But there has been an influx of younger people running clubs and we do have chats with them."

Scott Harris is almost two years older than the co-owners.

When Harris accepted the job, he was confident he would work well with his new employer.

All of the co-owners have their heads screwed on. They have made a difference in the club.

Walton & Hersham play at the Elmbridge Sports Hub in Walton-on-Thames
Walton & Hersham play at the Elmbridge Sports Hub in Walton-on-Thames

Under-12s can watch for free adult season tickets at Walton & Hersham, who are trying to get into the National League South.

We're not giving money to people who aren't in a league. "We have tried to make it more sustainable and entrepreneurial."

We may want to move on to other things a few years down the road.

If and when that time comes, the club will be in a good position. Something positive will be left for the community.