The story of the 'non-League Wrexham' now chasing the EFL dream

Having sold 40 per cent of influencer marketing agency, Goat, in 2021, Harry Hugo had made his fortune at 26 - and he realised that, by the age of 30, he would have the rare luxury of not needing to work again. <p>So, by his own admission, he chased moments of "instant gratification". But he also knew he needed to find a purpose.</p><p>One day, he and his friends - who had worked with him since he started his first business aged 16 - visited a Ferrari garage. He had his eyes on a 458 Spyder in black.</p><p>"My mate asked me why I was considering buying it," he tells <em>Sky Sports</em>.</p><widget id="9"></widget><ul><li><a href="https://www.skysports.com/national-league-south-scores-fixtures/2026-08-01"><strong>National League South 2026/27 fixtures</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/other-sports/news/30965/13447452/sky-sports-rewards-with-sky-vip-tickets-subscription-to-the-athletic-exclusive-sports-kit-offers-and-more-for-customers"><strong>Sky Sports Rewards - tickets, offers and more</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/ContentPromo" target="_blank"><strong>Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more</strong></a></li><li><strong>Not got Sky? </strong><a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>Get Sky Sports</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="http://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>stream with no contract on NOW</strong></a></li></ul><p>"My only answer was that it would be fun. That wasn't a good enough answer, so I challenged my mates to come up with something that would provide as much fun for the money.</p><p>"The first suggestion was, why don't we buy a football club - and I thought that was quite a good idea!"</p><p>The group built a matrix to rank the non-League clubs within a 50-mile radius of his home. Leatherhead came out on top, so Hugo followed the Tanners - then in the Isthmian Premier Division, one below the National League South - for six months.</p> <widget id="10"></widget><p>When he met the board, there was scepticism, he says. "I get that as, one, it's unusual for a young guy wanting to go and spend loads of money on a football club and, two, there have been a lot of negative stories in non-League, where people have put loads of money in then walked away."</p><p>Hugo was left deflated when a deal to take over did not materialise, yet he soon realised he had not fallen in love with Leatherhead, but non-League in general and "the raw emotion, the old-school nature of football in its purest form."</p><h3>Town takeover leads to back-to-back-to-back</h3><p>Number two on the matrix was Farnham Town. Hugo had grown up in local area attended school in the town - which is around 11 miles from Guildford, Surrey - so there was a tie-in. The only downside? They were another two tiers down the pyramid.</p><p>But the board were instantly receptive and a deal was completed within five weeks.</p><p>Soon, the reality of what he had inherited caught up with him.</p><p>"When we walked in, it cannot be understated how s*** it was here," he says, overlooking the pitch at The Memorial Ground, which is looking in excellent condition, despite the intense recent heatwaves.</p> <widget id="11"></widget><p>"It was the clubhouse, a stand behind the goal… and that was it. A concrete block wall around the side of the pitch and a fence across the top. I was embarrassed to bring my wife down here!"</p><p>Today, it is almost hard to believe it is the same stadium. But more on that shortly as, to understand why that is the case, one must look at Farnham's incredible rise, led on the pitch by manager Paul Johnson.</p><p>In 2022/23 - Hugo's first season - Farnham finished sixth in the Combined Counties Premier Division South.</p><p>In 2023/24, they won that same division with 108 points.</p><p>In 2024/25, they won the Isthmian South Central Division with 102 points.</p> <widget id="12"></widget><p>And in 2025/26, they finished second to Walton & Hersham in the Southern League Premier Division South, before beating Gloucester City 5-1 in the play-off final to reach the National League South.</p><p>Before Hugo's arrival, the club had never played above the ninth tier of English football. In 2026/27, they will play in the sixth.</p> <widget id="13"></widget><h3>Wrexham links and the value of socials</h3><p>Naturally, there have been comparisons to Wrexham, who are the most high-profile example of a club achieving back-to-back-to-back promotions, from the National League to the Sky Bet Championship.</p><p>"I'm OK with that!" says Hugo, with a laugh.</p><p>"Like them, we also care about media, brand, image, experience and the biggest thing is they brought people up; they made more National League and EFL teams look at themselves and think they could be doing it.</p> <widget id="6"></widget><p>"We're having the same impact on teams at step three, four, five and wondering, if they did it, why can't we?"</p><p>While the Red Dragons have their <em>Disney+</em> series 'Welcome to Wrexham', Farnham produce 'Non-League Diaries', which is released weekly on YouTube.</p><p>Hugo harnessed his connections to get social media collective The Sidemen to sponsor the team in his first season, while last September, the club went viral after former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch walked out as a mascot as a forfeit for losing his Fantasy Football League.</p> <widget id="5"></widget><p>From 2023 until earlier this summer, Love Island runner-up Harry Cooksley was a key member of the squad and, on TikTok, they boast over 150,000 followers.</p><p>"Social media is huge commercially, from a fan engagement and brand-awareness point of view. It's weird the amount of people that know about Farnham Town," Hugo adds.</p> <widget id="8"></widget><p>"They might not have ever come, but they know Crouchy walked...

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