Interview with Andy Stone (Stoner) from #Footywatch
Promoting awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund Charity through Non- League Football
In a world dominated by big-money football, local supporter Stoner is proving that the heart of the game still beats strongly at grassroots level. Through his growing social media movement #Footywatch Stoner is not only shining a light on non-league football but also turning that passion into raising funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund Bristol.
For Stoner, the appeal of non-league football lies in its authenticity, Stoner said “There’s a sense of community you don’t always find at higher levels, You see the same friendly faces every week across the grounds, the players are friendly and approachable, and there’s a real love for the game, everywhere I go I’m made to feel so welcome, give me non league over the professional game all day long.”
#Footywatch, started 7 years ago at a game between Hallen vs Shepton Mallet, I was documenting the match highlights on my then personal Twitter page and it was the assistant manager of Shepton at the time Jon Burr who said “that reviewing is just what the league needs, where you going next” honestly, I wasn’t… Hallen were a local club to me and this was the first time I had done this, I thought maybe it’s worth doing more as Jon’s feedback was very positive, so I set up the new page (#Footywatch) and that led me to making visits to non-league grounds across the south west carrying out in game reviewing as it happened, With matchday snapshots and videos, interviews with club representatives and finding out more about the clubs history, the hashtag quickly gained traction among non league followers and #FW grew from strength to strength throughout the leagues…
As the followers grew it was then after a chat with my wife I decided to link the football with a local Charity - The Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund, Having a close connection to Cystic Fibrosis through the loss of my close friend Syd, I thought why not use the platform for a greater cause. “My goal was to combine something I’m passionate about with something that matters deeply to me personally, so it was decided to use #Footywatch as a fundraising campaign for the Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund Bristol.” This was done through sales of #FW Merchandise and donations from clubs, as it grew teams used the t-shirts for warm up tops, clubs installed boards at the grounds, #FW was everywhere in the local non league circuit and this was allowing the awareness of the Comfort Fund to also grow far and wide to the point now at the start of the 2025/26 season #FW has partnered with 63 clubs across the leagues even down as far as Cornwall, and also has formed partnerships with the Western League, Somerset County League and the Bristol Premier Combination League. This season also sees #FW as main sponsor for the Somerset U18 League Cup competition. “The acknowledgement from so many has genuinely blown me away, I feel very grateful for everyone that has supported me,” said Stoner.
So far, through a combination of matchday collections, online donations, merchandise sales, charity games, and more, #FW has raised over £15,000 for charity, with every penny going directly to the Comfort Fund. “Non-league clubs and fans have been incredibly generous, " said Stoner, "it really shows the spirit of the football community.” As I love to say… The #FW Family are incredible, as that’s what the non-league community are to me, one big family.
This season will also see me working closer with the Jewson Western League as part of their Social Media Team, I will be offering support through their social media through sharing more content, engaging with clubs and supporters from the Western League and more, not just through my own work on #FW but also direct through their pages, this is a huge honour for me, and something I am really looking forward to for the 2025/26 season.
Onto something very important to me, the charity… The Comfort Fund provides vital support to patients and families dealing with the challenges of living with CF, offering small comforts and emergency help where needed—whether that’s travel support to hospital appointments, exercise equipment, driving lessons, home equipment and much more the Comfort Fund are there to support and this is why the awareness and donation are vital in making the charity a big support network across the area the cover, you can find out more about the charity on their website www.cfcomfort.co.uk
Looking forward, there are plans to do more through #FW, I’m currently in the process of setting up as a charitable trust, this will allow me to support even more work that this wonderful charity does. I’ve also got a few other ideas in the pipeline, but let’s say “watch this space” on those….
“Non – league Football brings people together in a unique way, If I can keep using that connection to raise awareness and funds for something like CF, then I know I’m doing something worthwhile, the kindness and support I’ve received is beyond words, and something I will be forever grateful for, I’m just a big guy that loves the game, but the thing to remember is without the support of EVERYONE none of this is possible. For that I thank you
If you want to follow #Footywatch on social media, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram
