The puzzling boardroom life of Dorking Ladies chairman Calum Best

If Best didn’t inherit his father’s football talent, he at least got the looks. Exceptionally handsome, first as a model, then as a reality TV stalwart, he was able to turn the legacy of fame into a successful career. And also a business portfolio: he owns a Mexican restaurant on London’s King’s Road. Lately, however, as he began to suffer regularly with his friends, and as he became a more frequent spectator of Manchester United matches, he considered the possibility of a deeper involvement in the game.

“It’s not easy to find money for a fifth-tier team”

“I’m lucky enough to have associations through my dad with some of the biggest clubs in the world, United are always very welcoming, as is Fulham, I’ve taken the girls to games there,” he says. “But if I wanted to get more of a partnership myself, I wanted it to be on my terms, not like I’m using my name. So that was perfect, women’s football, at the bottom of the pyramid, let’s see what can you bring to the game.”

When he first started, he found that what he mainly brought to the game were raised eyebrows.

“Most of the places we go, there are older gentlemen in charge,” he says. “I stand up with all my tattoos, sounding like a Yank, being loud, talking s— and there’s a skeptical look. There’s people like, What the hell are you doing here?”

Watching him in action at Dorking, however, it soon becomes clear what Best is up to. Before the game, he is everywhere, with joy and high fives. Charming, approachable and endlessly friendly, he chats with club sponsors (“hey, without you guys we’d still be playing in old-school gear, so thanks”), greets individual spectators, chats with the opposing coach. He even has time to take a selfie with a fan of his father, who asks him to sign a copy of one of the old man’s many autobiographies. More specifically, he’s on the field as the players warm up, having a quiet word with each of them in turn, slapping them on the back, offering encouragement, making them feel important.

“I like doing this,” he says. “Just let them know I’m right behind them.”