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Non-league football in Sussex, and why it deserves your support
(This article was originally published in the WFC Programme in the 2001-02 season. It has not been changed, and may no longer be fully up-to date)
Welcome to all the Brighton & Hove Albion fans here for this evening’s friendly. As this game has now become what seems to be a very welcome annual fixture for Worthing FC, no doubt several of you have already visited Woodside Road in previous pre-seasons. Some of you may have even popped down for the odd game here and there throughout the season.
For those who have been here before, I sincerely hope you can see the efforts all at Worthing FC are making to improve facilities and the comfort of the fans. In addition to a general lick of paint and a new set of floodlights, the club shop has plans for a vastly improved range and the new Supporters Association (a snip at £5 for a year’s membership, or £2 for under-16s) has moved into the old North Bank snack shack. A special welcome also to anyone who has is making their debut appearance on the terraces this evening (whether you’re cheering on the reds or the blues!)
I genuinely hope that you consider popping back during the season, whether it’s for the odd game here and there, or because, like most of the Worthing fans at some point or another, you’re sufficiently interested to make it a more regular occurrence. Non-league football often plays host to neutral fans, whether it’s from people holidaying in the area, visiting friends, or “ground-hoppers”, or most usually, league football fans deprived of their regular fix at their own team (e.g. the Albion are away at Grimsby, or the game at Withdean has been rained off). Other games draw a wider audience due to the curiosity value – Horsham vs Lewes last Easter Monday attracted nearly 1,000 paying spectators, intrigued by the top of the table clash and the bad blood between the two Sussex rivals.
Sussex itself is blessed with a very active non-league scene, boasting no less than eight senior clubs in addition to the County League, which in itself is only 3 divisions away from the Conference (as it feeds into the Dr Martens Southern League). No matter where you live in the county, you have a choice of where to watch a high-standard of semi-professional football for a fraction of the price of the professional game.
The senior clubs are evenly split between both ends of Sussex, and between the two senior leagues. East Sussex has the neighbouring St Leonards and Hastings United (previously Hastings Town) in the Dr Martens League. You can actually look over the fence at The Firs, St Leonards’ ground, and see any game taking place down the hill on the Pilot Field. Another club to change its name in recent seasons is Eastbourne Borough (formerly Langney Sports), and they draw a healthy support to their Priory Lane ground to watch Dr Martens Eastern Division football. The other side in East Sussex, and arguably the most successful Sussex side of the past two seasons, are Lewes FC, now promoted to the same division as Worthing. Lewes are blessed with a wonderful natural amphitheatre at the Dripping Pan to play in, but it’s a double-edged sword as parking restrictions and cramped facilities can cause problems with bigger crowds. For years this has never troubled Lewes as they have struggled to attract fans, although last season’s FA Cup run seems to have drawn a few more out of the woodwork.
Over to West Sussex, and one ground that no-one can have any complaints about is the Broadfield Stadium in Crawley (well, I can, as anyone who read a similar article on my hatred of “lego-brick, breeze-block stadia” last season may recall! But that’s another story…). Crawley Town’s modern, council-owned stadium is on the southern edge of the town, with ample parking, plenty of covered terracing and admission prices to match their status as the highest-placed Sussex side last season (3rd in the Dr Martens’ Premier). The other three West Sussex sides all ply their trade in the Ryman Division One South, including Worthing FC. Our local rivals, Bognor Regis Town, have a fine ground at Nyewood Lane, and a self-declared reputation for playing a completely different style of football from Worthing. This leaves Horsham FC, an eccentric but loveable club handily situated on the Brighton Road (avoid Horsham town centre at all costs!), and within easy reach of the town centre and train station.
Moving out of the Senior Non-League divisions, Burgess Hill has a large following for the County League, albeit one accustomed to success after their recent run of County League titles. Southwick FC (managed by former Worthing favourite Sammy Donnelly) have big plans for improvement on and off the pitch at Old Barn Way, and Withdean FC, recovering from their eviction from their home ground, will kick-off their second season in the Combined Counties League (alongside the newly-formed AFC Wimbledon) by ground-sharing here at Woodside Road.
All in all, as a football fan in Sussex, you need never worry about DIY Stores or clothes shopping on a Saturday EVER AGAIN (well, at least between late July and early May!), if you’re prepared to abandon the lingering preconceptions about the drop in standard. In this progressive world of collapsing television deals, manipulative agents and all-seater stadia, Non League football remains a lasting bastion of what the Game used to stand for.
Moreover, your money at the gate, in the raffle, at the tea hut, in the club shop or over the bar (or preferably all of them) helps to keep clubs afloat, whether it’s £3 at a County League Division Two game or £9 in the Dr Marten’s Premier. And the clubs, the players, the supporters, and everyone else connected with non-league football, really appreciates it.
So next season, when Withdean’s sold-out, or the Albion are away, or playing on another day of the week as dictated by the TV companies, or you just fancy a breath of fresh air and the space to move around freely on an old-fashioned terrace, why not pop along to your local non-league club?
7th Feb 2004