Corinthian-Casuals and Non League pays tribute to the much-loved photographer Stuart Tree

Stuart Tree – 1979-2026

By Matt Badcock

The memory of much-loved photographer Stuart Tree was honoured by his club Corinthian-Casuals yesterday.

Stuart passed away suddenly last Saturday, aged just 46.

Yesterday, the club’s development squad wore shirts bearing his name – as well as those of another club legend, Brian Wakefield, who also passed away recently – for the last fixture of their title-winning Suburban League Central Division season.

Passion

As well as his passion for the historic Casuals, where he was press officer, Stuart edited the programme and played a pivotal role in telling the club’s story to the world online too.

His photography from around the country captured the heart of Non-League football.

From the top of the National League System to scenic landscapes at the base of the Pyramid, his photos and stories were loved by so many.

A friend to us here at The NLP, he took wonderful match pictures to light up our own pages too, including at the National Game Awards and when Casuals won the Egri Erbstein tournament in Hungary.

CLUB LEGEND: Stuart Tree and Corinthian-Casuals’ shirted tribute, above.

Favourite photo

In August 2020, he shared his favourite photo – up until that point anyway – from the FA Vase semi-final between Tunbridge Wells and Shildon more than seven years earlier.

Muddy conditions made for great pictures and Stuart caught Wells’ scorer Andy Irvine, caked from head to toe, wheeling away after giving his side a narrow first-leg lead.

In recent years, often alongside good friend Andy Nunn, his pictures were also about capturing the wider context and beauty of Non-League games and the grounds they are played in.

MUDDY MARVELLOUS: Stuart’s photograph of Andy Irvine

Tea bars

In 2021, he even released a popular calendar solely of tea bars and the people who volunteer their time in them.

Stuart is survived by his girlfriend, Katja and young son, Ethan.

A fundraising page to support his family had already raised over £18,000 as The NLP went to press.

To donate to Stuart’s family in his memory, visit www.gofundme. com/f/stuart-tree-2026