Frank Villares and his wife Debra Tucker were announced as Dorking Wanderers co-owners and growth investors in the summer, Sky Sports reports, with Marc White explaining how their backing fits his hopes for progress through investment largely off the field.
Speaking to Sky Sports, White said Dorking are now in a position to make additions, predominantly away from the pitch. His proposed route to football investment centres on the income that spending can generate.
Villares’ involvement began with Rise With Us
According to Sky Sports, Villares, a US entrepreneur, first became involved with Dorking in 2024 through the Rise With Us campaign. His connection with the club therefore predates the summer announcement involving him and Tucker.
The campaign raised £333,180 from 746 investors against a target of £180,013, Sky Sports reported. Those figures describe the Rise With Us fundraising campaign and should be kept separate from the investment associated with Villares and Tucker becoming co-owners.
Sky Sports also reported a separate addition to Dorking’s backing: a consortium led by former professional ice hockey player James Sixsmith acquired a shareholding in the summer. That sits alongside Villares and Tucker’s reported roles as co-owners and growth investors.
White values trust alongside owner involvement
White described Villares and Tucker as an ideal fit because they trust the existing operation to run the club while also wanting to be involved themselves. His assessment, given to Sky Sports, places both trust and participation at the centre of that working relationship.
The significance of that combination, in football terms, is the balance White values: support for those running Dorking alongside an active interest from the new co-owners. It helps explain why he sees the partnership as suitable for the club.
White said off-field investment can generate additional income which Dorking can, hopefully, invest on the pitch. The sporting benefit is his hoped-for outcome, with income generation the link between spending away from football and supporting progress within it.
Dorking’s league position and wider audience
Sky Sports described Dorking as back in the National League South at the time of its report, with White now enjoying significant additional backing. Their best-ever league finish remains 16th in the National League in 2022/23, according to the report.
There is also an audience beyond the league setting. Sky Sports reported that Bunch of Amateurs, the YouTube channel documenting Dorking behind the scenes, had more than 200,000 subscribers and a global audience at the time of publication.