[Football] Please help Southwick FC!

I'm sure many of you know of the long decline of Southwick FC, once a real power in local football.
After more than 20 years we have the chance to bring that decline to an end.
Here's the story. We've obviously been there before on a much bigger scale Indeed the Wickers' decline began around the same time as the Albion's, and at the time was obviously totally overshadowed by it.
There's lots of enthusiasm for a new community club - they just have to get Old Barn Way back.
Please help.

SOS - SAVE OUR SOUTHWICK!
BRING HOME THE WICKERS!

In March 2020, after many years of sad and totally avoidable decline at its home ground, Old Barn Way, the former owner of Southwick Football Club surrendered the lease on it to the landlord Adur & Worthing District Council, who have since closed it due to health and safety issues.

The club has been reconstituted as a Community Interest Company by committed local people - with none of the former owners involved - the intention being to convert into a Community Amateur Sports Club in due course. Adult, under 18 and youth teams have been secured, with thirty-two club officials, managers and coaches in place in readiness for the new season.

Until recently the future was looking bright: a Director of Adur & Worthing District Council had confirmed that the Council were committed to ensuring that Southwick Football Club would continue to play at the ground once it was safe to do so. Subsequently Southwick FC made a formal offer to AWDC to obtain a temporary licence and make good the necessary repairs at their cost. The council have not responded to the offer.

AWDC hosted a Zoom meeting on 24 July involving the football club and three other organisations who have declared an interest in obtaining a lease at Old Barn Way. As a result of this meeting they intend to instruct agents to seek proposals from all interested parties. They have not been willing to guarantee that Southwick Football Club are assured of a return to Old Barn Way.

They have stated that regardless of the selection of the leaseholder, reserved use for 'affiliated' football and ‘Saferide’ will be a condition of selection of the future leaseholder. (‘Saferide’ is a motor cycle training company currently operating at the premises.)

The new Southwick Football Club (1882) CIC are making one simple demand of the Council: that the same condition guaranteeing the future of ‘Saferide’ be given to the football club. That regardless of who is granted the lease a precondition will be that Old Barn Way will continue to be the home of Southwick FC, the club which has played there for many decades, and until a recent sad decline enjoyed major success there at county football level and above.
Within the last few days it has been confirmed that there are debts owed by the former owners of the club. The rules of the Football Association require that all such debts are paid in full, secured or transferred to the new entity. This seeks to protect the integrity of the game by ensuring that a club does not gain a sporting advantage by not paying its debts and nevertheless retaining its position in the National League System.

The Southwick Football Club (1882) CIC totally endorse the reasons for this. We are not able to comply with the FA rule – we have no financial connection to the previous owners and are in no way responsible for the debts incurred by them - and regretfully must accept that the club cannot continue within the National League System for the forthcoming season.

The football management and current first team playing squad are fully committed to the Club at this crucial point in its 138 year history and the new, reborn Southwick FC will start again - at Intermediate level, playing at Buckingham Park - to comply with the regulations.

And we are hereby launching BRING HOME THE WICKERS! calling on AWDC to grant the club the right to return home to Old Barn Way the moment the ground improvements are completed, in order to rebuild our future and return to affiliated football ASAP.

Southwick FC was once one of the leading clubs in Sussex. We have won the County League many times, played in the Isthmian League and reached the first round of the FA Cup. The last years have been really difficult, but that era is now over and will never come back. We will return to happier times as a democratically-run, member-owned community club with a vibrant and enthusiastic youth section, ensuring a great future.
If you love grass roots football please support the campaign to

SAVE OUR SOUTHWICK and BRING HOME THE WICKERS

by emailing that simple statement to the officers of Adur & Worthing Council who are involved in the ground issue at present:

Cian Cronin, Head of Major Projects & Investment
cian.cronin@adur-worthing.gov.uk
Martin Randall, Director for the Economy
martin.randall@adur-worthing.gov.uk
Robert Crossan, Property & Investment Manager
robert.crossan@adur-worthing.gov.uk
Adrian Rice, Property Management Surveyor
adrian.rice@adur-worthing.gov.uk

And emailing the same to the local ward councillors for the Southwick area:
Stephen Chipp
stephen.chipp@adur.gov.uk
David Balfe
david.balfe@adur.gov.uk
Angus Dunn
angus.dunn@adur.gov.uk
Peter Metcalfe
peter.metcalfe@adur.gov.uk
David Simmons
david.simmons@adur.gov.uk

If you would like to be involved in the new Southwick Football Club (1882) CIC in any way please email Tony at tony.kybett@ntlworld.com

For media enquiries please contact Dan Gander
gooseydan@gmail.com 07850 218051

RELEASE ENDS

Done.

Being an (exiled) Ringmer Lad who used to watch the Blues regularly in the early 70s (even had a couple of seasons going to many away games) I used to HATE Southwick with a vengeance .

But those days are long gone and Ringmer have followed a similar-ish path to Southwick and the Caburn Ground is no more . Good luck to Southwick and hope your efforts are successful.

Certainly going for a long time, hopefully not too long before they can return home and start to climb again.

Well at least I now know why the place looks a bloody state now.

Used to love going to watch Southwick in the early 80's.

Knightsworld said:

Well at least I now know why the place looks a bloody state now.

Used to love going to watch Southwick in the early 80's.

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Wish I had paid now - instead of hopping over the wall behind the old tatty stands as a kid....

One of my main football memories was when we had a title decider against Chichester - whoever won, won the county league. I think it was Geoff Pook (?) who had scored about 500 goals that year who missed a penalty, and Chichester took the title. I can still picture the packed ground in my mind.

Bodian said:

Wish I had paid now - instead of hopping over the wall behind the old tatty stands as a kid....

One of my main football memories was when we had a title decider against Chichester - whoever won, won the county league. I think it was Geoff Pook (?) who had scored about 500 goals that year who missed a penalty, and Chichester took the title. I can still picture the packed ground in my mind.

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Not Geoff Pook, Micky Edmonds I think. Richie Reynolds (Ex Pompey) was chi manager

Done. I have a family connection to the club. He’d be horrified at the state of it now if he were still around.

Thanks everyone. Loads of support, should be sorted quickly and easily, hope that's the case. Wonderful badges, Studio 150. They'd go well with the photo I used to have of my Auntie Rose with the team around that time...

Rye United all over again

Not sure if I can send an email seeing I'm not local but happy to if it would help. But certainly 100% behind you. Please keep us up to date with developments.

https://audioboom.com/posts/7670246...t-2020-with-guests-tony-kybett-and-john-baine

From about 30 mins in.

Had a few battles against Gerry Offen who was an outstanding centre back

For any fans of Southwick, the following articles may be of interest (written by Julie Ryan, John Shepherd's daughter) - The man behind the stand – Southwick FC 1967 – 1969

The David Hannam affair

Scene of the first REMF match

Latest in the campaign. It really is like Bring Home the Albion in miniature. For Gillingham read Southwick Rec. First game for the new fan owned commuity club Southwick 1882 in the Mid Sussex League there 3pm 19th Sept: we're away at Newcastle on the Sunday, so anyone who feels like a bit of socially distanced football history is most welcome. The baleful regime of the last 20 years is over and it really is a brand new start. The County League squad have stayed together and dropped two divisions to keep the club alive and there is an army of tradesmen waiting to get the ground up to scratch at no cost to council tax payers.Hopefully the council will let us back into the ground ASAP!

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/186...gTmJmFHEcswWCNOW4xC3OvHRgxQiqxB649V2WjRBcUvKY

To quote your classic words John from GE there's stench of decomposing flounder about all this, how did Adur Council let the 'tenants' run up nearly £400,000 of repair debt? Or is that just a convenient figure? It's prime building land close to the railway station, commercially far better than a non league football club...…..

I wish the new Southwick FC every success.

It's crazy how so many clubs have reached the dizzy heights of winning the County League by paying money they haven't got to players who don't give a toss about the club, get promoted to a level that is beyond them, have to improve facilities to be allowed in the new league...…. and then plummet at the speed of sound. Don't the Sussex County FA have any requirements to operate/own/run their clubs?

I'm told the County League Prem is at a similar standard to the Brighton League Premier of a few years ago. What's the standard of the mid Sussex if it's 2 leagues below CL (Div 2)?

I guess the top priorities are to keep the club operating with stable finances and get them back to OBW. Good luck.

Who remembers Gerry Armstrong leaping over the barriers and assaulting a (mouthy) spectator at the end of a Southwick home match?

timbha said:

I wish the new Southwick FC every success.

It's crazy how so many clubs have reached the dizzy heights of winning the County League by paying money they haven't got to players who don't give a toss about the club, get promoted to a level that is beyond them, have to improve facilities to be allowed in the new league...…. and then plummet at the speed of sound. Don't the Sussex County FA have any requirements to operate/own/run their clubs?

I'm told the County League Prem is at a similar standard to the Brighton League Premier of a few years ago. What's the standard of the mid Sussex if it's 2 leagues below CL (Div 2)?

I guess the top priorities are to keep the club operating with stable finances and get them back to OBW. Good luck.

Who remembers Gerry Armstrong leaping over the barriers and assaulting a (mouthy) spectator at the end of a Southwick home match?

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Is it any better than Sunday League? I really have no idea. What’s the difference? (apart from being on different days)

Can you play in both leagues? How would one determine if they should play for a County team or a Sunday one? Why would they choose one over the other?

I know a few from my year at school that play/have played for Southwick. Didn’t seem much better than me tbh.

BeHereNow said:

Is it any better than Sunday League? I really have no idea. What’s the difference? (apart from being on different days)

Can you play in both leagues? How would one determine if they should play for a County team or a Sunday one? Why would they choose one over the other?

I know a few from my year at school that play/have played for Southwick. Didn’t seem much better than me tbh.

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in the 70's and 80's the standard of the County League was quite high with young players released from the Albion, ex pros living in the area and those not wanting all the travelling involved with the next level up, all playing CL football. Many CL players represented Sussex and it was considered an honour. Sussex and CL rep sides were scrapped when no-one wanted to play (if they didn't get paid).

Not sure if it's a coincidence but since the advent of Sky, FIFA games, etc fewer young men play football on a Saturday afternoon (or at all). I've heard that the ones that do try to emulate PL players by wearing headphones when walking from their car to the changing rooms, eat a special meal at an exact time before ko, dose up on high energy drinks, spend fortunes on the latest boots, tattoos, and …….you know ………. !!! The similarities end when the whistle blows for ko!

Lots of local support. Publicity coming in
Argus
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18686882.reborn-southwick-fc-fear-may-never-return-ground/
Shoreham Herald
https://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/sp...southwick-fc-campaign-growing-quickly-2958554
200percent magazine
https://twohundredpercent.net/southwick-ropes/

Gary Stevens, Nick Szczepanik, Naylor tweeting support
And we now have a crowd funding 'Bring Home The Wickers' page to generate some cash for the ground renovation (which will be done at cost by local tradesmen if we can get the lease)
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bringhomethewickers

IH, you have been aware of this for two decades as I have. Disgusting behaviour by lease holder, apathy from council. More than twenty years of decline: the Albion story in miniature, successive lease holders who cared nothing for football and just wanted a drinking club and a playing side keeping the club going despite it all. We already have a guarantee that football will stay at Old Barn Way and the numbers of people who are coming out of the woodwork now the lease has been handed back and we have the chance to take the club forward give cause for great optimism.

Most impressive of all is the way the County League players have been prepared to drop two divisions and stick with the Wickers playing in the Mid Sussex league. Donations and offers of practical help gratefully received.