How Channel 4 star helped non-league Chesham United to 3900 per cent increase in shirt sales in ‘first serious job’
CHANNEL 4 star Alex Horne has turned non-league Chesham United from minnows into potential FA Cup giant killers while also boosting shirt sales by 3900 per cent.
The Taskmaster star joined Chesham’s board in 2022 in his “first serious job”, with his show becoming their sponsor.
And the sixth-tier club have since gone from strength to strength on and off the pitch.
They achieved promotion to the National League South last season.
And their average attendance has increased from a few hundred to over 1,000 fans.
Shirt sales continue to rise too, with last term seeing 1,200 jerseys flogged compared to just THIRTY the previous campaign.
Around 4,000 fans are now set to descend on The Meadow for tonight’s FA Cup first round tie against League One Lincoln City, with a second round trip to Crawley Town the reward.
The match will be shown live on ITV, with Chesham having to quickly install TV gantries and even extra toilets.
And Horne is hoping to find a way to see the action unfold as he will be performing a comedy gig in Edinburgh at the same time.
He told The Guardian: “Elton John apparently watched Watford’s FA Cup final on an iPad on his piano during a gig in Copenhagen.
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“But it’s mainly about the occasion, so it’s gutting I’m not there.”
Chesham will be paid £50,000 in broadcast fees, a huge sum of money for the club.
And it will immediately be spent on a new toilet block.
Horne explained; “I haven’t chucked millions of pounds at Chesham because I can’t, and my wife would not let me.
“Before, the chairman and owner had to dip into their own pockets a lot.
“Now we’re doing repairs that we’ve needed to do for years. No one’s making money in non-league football.”
In terms of the game, Horne also predicts Chesham will give Lincoln a run for their money.
He added: “I actually think Lincoln won’t be miles ahead. They’ll be ahead in fitness but not in skills.
“I speak with the players and they’ve said this is the biggest game of their lives. For our lot, this is possibly a one-off.”