Words by Zac Welshman
Photos by Katja Hillebrandt
As the footballing curtain fell on Corinthian-Casuals’ 2022/23 season, it signalled the end of an era off the pitch as long-time programme editor and matchday photographer Stuart Tree called time on his media duties at the Corinthian-Casuals.
Having written, designed, and edited the club’s matchday programme, The Casual, for over a decade, Tree has become part of the fabric at King George’s Field, and despite taking a step back from his official involvement, the affection he has for the club and its community is as ardent as ever.
Recalling how, as a student working in the local area in 1999, he went in search of live, local football, he said, “I didn’t even know there was a football club here until I started working up at Tolworth Tower. So I said to a work colleague, ‘Let’s go down there and see what it’s like’, and we just fell in love with the place immediately. There were only about 40 or 50 people there, and it was really quiet but very welcoming and I just loved it.”
After a few years in the stands, it was a passion for photography that brought the amateur snapper closer to the action and led to his official involvement with the club. “The football photography kind of just took off organically, I bought my first camera, I was already going to the football and I just combined the two.” With matchday photos scarce for the club, then-programme editor Rob Cavallini began including Stuart’s work, eventually leading to him succeeding Cavallini in 2010.
“I remember we were away at Leatherhead,” he recalls. “Rob was resigning and Brian Vandervilt came up to me and asked if I fancied doing the programme next season, and I thought, ‘You know what, let’s do it! I’ll do it for a season.’”
One season turned into 12 years as a new-look programme became a matchday staple for Casuals fans despite the “crisis of confidence” that struck the new editor early on. “It had always been done the same way, everything was done on Word, given to a local printer, and then the brothers [Brian and Roger Phillips] would go and pick it up on their bikes and spend Saturday morning folding and stapling it.
“So it was learning to change those things, like getting a professional printer involved. But Rob handed it over really well, we went to a pub one night and just went through everything and he was always on hand whenever I had any questions.”
The media influence extended onto the pitch too as James Bracken took over as manager in 2015. “He brought in a side that had a lot of collectiveness, he also made me feel very welcome, and he said a lot of kind things about how I was part of their team as well. So I always felt a loyalty to them, I wanted to kind of keep going and keep doing it for them.”
The longevity that came with that loyalty produced a hatful of memorable moments for Tree, who eagerly reminisced about the buzz he felt around the club during the mid to late 2010s, specifically the play-off semi-final against Greenwich Borough in 2017.
“It was surreal, this is a club that traditionally sits near the bottom of the league below, let alone in this division,” he recalled. “I remember being away at Greenwich and I just thought. ‘This is what I usually do with other clubs, I photograph other club’s semi-finals, but this is my club!’ I was so nervous I had a raging headache by the end of it, but that’s a game that will live long in the memory.”
Having experienced highs and lows over the years, Stuart gladly passed on some advice for Casuals fans new and old.
“Enjoy it,” he said before quickly continuing, “but don’t get too swept up in it. It’s easier said than done. There’s been times I’ve sat pitchside watching us lose a two-goal lead and thought, ‘Why am I doing this?! Why am I putting myself through this?’
“But this season has been a revelation for me, I’ve taken a step back and realised whether it’s step 3 or step 4, level 7 or level 8, people don’t care. They just want to come along, have a good time and cheer on their local football team, and it won’t matter an iota that we’re suddenly playing in a slightly different league. So take that breather, take a step back.”
Although his official involvement with the club has come to an end, he is as excited as ever to support from the stands and document the game.
“I’ve taken around 40,000 football photos, which is scary. So there’s not many I have left to tick off. But Kat [Stuart’s girlfriend] has just discovered football photography and I’m loving that we can come along and snap games together because I’ll always want to take photographs. It's not just taking photographs that I enjoy, it’s about what the club gets out of it as well.”
There’s no doubt that Tree’s larger-than-life personality will still be felt around the club in seasons to come, albeit in slightly smaller doses. “I want to come down, get in at five to three, have a few beers, and leave at five past five,” he chuckled, before admitting there will likely always be something for him to get involved in.
“Once you cross that threshold, you never truly hold back. I just hope for a good season on the pitch.”
For Casuals fans that still want to see more of his work, Stuart can be found on Flickr and Twitter.