A club is more than its results
On match day, attention naturally goes to the players, the scoreline and the moments that decide the game. Yet a grassroots club exists because a much wider group of people keeps it moving. Someone opens the gate. Someone checks the changing rooms. Someone washes kit, prepares refreshments, marks out the pitch, manages registration, answers messages, organises transport or makes sure the lights are switched off at the end of the evening.
Many of these contributions are practical and quiet. They may never appear in a newspaper report, but they shape the club’s character. When a club preserves its history, it should make room for these people as well as the most visible sporting milestones.
Look beyond the familiar names
Most clubs can name a few legendary players or successful teams. The harder task is remembering the people whose work was spread across years rather than one memorable afternoon. A treasurer who kept the accounts in order, a grounds volunteer who arrived before sunrise, a coach who helped young players find confidence or a parent who ran fixtures for several age groups may have changed the club profoundly.
Begin by asking current members who they associate with the club’s everyday life. Invite stories about welcome, care and reliability, not only achievement. What did a particular volunteer do every week? Which jobs were invisible until somebody stopped doing them? Who helped new families feel that they belonged? These questions produce richer material than a list of committee titles.
When gathering memories, give people a chance to check names, dates and wording. Different generations may remember the same period differently. That is not necessarily a problem. A thoughtful archive can acknowledge several perspectives while avoiding claims that cannot be supported.
Give ordinary places a story
The people who make a club are often connected to ordinary places: the entrance where children first arrive, the clubhouse kitchen, the equipment store, a noticeboard or the touchline where volunteers spend wet afternoons. These locations can become useful prompts for remembering.
Kohd provides Heritage for clubs that want to connect those physical points with digital stories. A slim horizontal Heritage Tile can sit discreetly near a display or area and provide QR access to a fuller account. A story might explain who established a junior section, how volunteers developed the clubhouse or why a particular object has been kept for so long.
Where a physical artefact is central, a discreet Marker can connect directly to its background without covering or altering the object. The Timeline provides a living archive where people and stories can be added over time. It can help a club show that its history is not only a sequence of fixtures, but an ongoing record of relationships, effort and belonging.
Keep recognition specific
Good heritage writing avoids vague praise. Instead of saying that somebody was “a club legend”, explain what they actually did. Describe the early starts, the weekly admin, the events, the coaching sessions or the years spent helping families. Specific details make recognition feel genuine and give future readers something they can picture.
It is also worth recording the people who are still involved. A living archive should not wait until a contribution is distant. With permission, clubs can capture short interviews, photographs and reflections from current volunteers, creating a bridge between present-day activity and earlier generations.
The Heritage framework sets out the agreed product terms. Clubs control their own local decisions and promotion, so they decide how Heritage fits their community and how any local support is organised. Kohd coordinates tile research by email, helping the club shape the information for each story. Heritage does not guarantee participation; its value is in helping a club preserve and share the stories it chooses to develop.
Make the invitation personal
A request for “club history” can feel broad. A request for one memory is easier to answer. Ask a former volunteer what they remember about a particular changing room, a coach how they welcomed new players or a supporter which object best represents the club.
Choose one person whose contribution deserves to be remembered, gather the facts and create a clear story around it. To start, email Kohd with the name of the person or group you want to recognise and any photographs, documents or recollections the club already holds.
Why this matters for your club
Protect heritage: Recognising volunteers, families, coaches and supporters protects the human history behind the badge, not only the most visible sporting results.
Fundraising revenue stream: People-centred recognition can give a club a stronger foundation for a local fundraising revenue stream because it invites families and former members into the story.
Enhance membership experience: Members can see that contribution includes far more than playing on match day.
Reduce volunteer burden: Kohd’s research coordination helps the club recognise people without asking the same volunteers to gather, write and manage every story themselves.