Sharon Upton, Darts Burger Bar Manager

What is your connection to the club?

I manage the team that run the burger bar outside the ground and the Darts Grill, inside.

What does the role involve?

We prepare and sell food and drink at both outlets on match days and during summer tournaments, as well as weekend mornings and other events during the season when needed. We also make food for the women’s team, such as hotpots, chilli or chicken curry.

On a Saturday and Sunday when there are home matches, we start at 7am and finish at 5.30pm. We get all the bread in fresh in the morning and all the ingredients are fresh, then we prep and cater for the children who are playing at the ground in the mornings and their families, before catering before the matches and at half-time.

They’re long days, but we have a brilliant team and I really appreciate everything they do!

Can you tell us a little about the team?

There are eight of us and the girls are amazing, I couldn’t do it without them. They all have brilliant relationships with the supporters and get to know the regulars. Some of our customers are elderly and Dartford has been a lifelong journey for them and they come not just for the food, but for a chat with the girls.

It’s lovely working in the bar sometimes, you’ve got the sun rising over the pond and baby ducklings in the summer. It can be long hours and you can be working outside in minus-three degrees during winter or in temperatures in the early thirties in the summer which can be difficult, so it’s a job you have to like to do.

We took over the pod – Darts Grill – this summer. Our first game was Charlton when there was a crowd of 2.5k. It was manic!

Since then, we have all really gelled together. For the Christmas game, they all came in dressed in their pyjamas and dressed up and it made it all a little bit more special.

It can be a difficult job at times as you never really know how many fans are going to turn up and you think there won’t be that many supporters but it’s double the amount expected. But I think we have a very good relationship with our regulars.

How long have you worked here for?

Around four and a half years.

How did the role come about?

I ran my own pub for 30 years but I gave it up as I didn’t want to work full-time any more. Then I helped out at the bar at Dartford and Jack asked me if I wanted to run the food when the opportunity came up.

Are you a Dartford supporter?

My uncle was Terry Skelton and the first time I watched Dartford some 50 years ago he was Dartford’s physio. But he’d also do the kits and he’d be washing all the football kits in his kitchen.

I used to go to away matches on the coach with my husband. I can’t watch games now due to the timings of doing the food, but we’ll all follow the scores and results and chat to the supporters about the team.

What does the club mean to you? 

The best thing for me are the children’s games. On the weekend mornings you are seeing the little ones come in from the community pitches and you get to know some of them and their parents and watch them grow.

It’s lovely watching a little eight-year-old have his first game or first Man of the Match award, it means so much to them. They’ve got that trophy in their hand and they’ll show it off.

The club is so much more than just the first team – it’s about the community and some of these friendships that start when they are little playing football, will last a lifetime.