[Football] AFC Southwick v Sidley, 2pm today, Whitehawk FC

[attila]

The big day is here. The banner, programmes, leaflets, beer (by Brighton Bier and Loud Shirt Beer) are ready. The excellent Whitehawk FC cafe will be open serving hot food to soak up the beer! Your pre match music selector has some bangin' punk, ska, reggae and rap ready to go. (Yes, I'm back on the PA again after 14 years bringing the noise at the Albion �� )
Free admission, with donation to club funds to help us pay the rent!

And most importantly the incredibly loyal and lovely players and management of AFC Southwick - who have stayed together after our Old Barn Way ground was closed due to lease holder and council neglect and the old club died, dropping two divisions and playing park football to get promotion last season - are ready to give their all against league favourites Sidley United. Good luck to one and all, and managers Sammy Donnelly and Gratters, playing at a proper ground again, they don't half deserve it. Thanks to Whitehawk FC and the Hawks Ultras for welcoming us.

Hope to see some of you there! And afterwards there are no less than TWO beer festivals right next to each other in Southwick - a Thornbridge v Dark Star soundclash special at Southwick Beer Engine and Southwick Beer Festival at Southwick Community Centre. Grass roots beer, music and football. The stuff of life. ��
https://www.facebook.com/events/545114563492531

 

[LamieRobertson]

Would it be an understatement to say you are looking forward to it

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Sammy Donnelly is a good man and a veteran of the West Sussex managerial circuit. With a safe pair of hands there.

Southwick's opponents Sidley Utd are another club who've fallen on hard times after being higher up the ladder and losing their ground to some dubious goings on behind the scenes. I was in the area of their old ground about six years ago. It was an overgrown jungle and vandalised then. Dread to think what it's like now. Good luck for today.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Sammy Donnelly is a good man and a veteran of the West Sussex managerial circuit. With a safe pair of hands there.

Southwick's opponents Sidley Utd are another club who've fallen on hard times after being higher up the ladder and losing their ground to some dubious goings on behind the scenes. I was in the area of their old ground about six years ago. It was an overgrown jungle and vandalised then. Dread to think what it's like now. Good luck for today.

I live in Sidley, what happened to the ground shared by both Sidley United and Sidley Cricket Club is a travesty. Very dodgy goings on. My kids now play for Sidley Colts and we are trying to get planning permission to build a new ground on St Mary’s Lane behind Bexhill cemetery but won’t be quite the same as having that space slap bang in the middle of the village.

 

[attila]

Exactly the same as Old Barn Way. If you're travelling from west of Southwick to Falmer you'll see the state of it, it has been a disgrace to Southwick for years, slowly falling further and further into disrepair due to council and lease holder neglect, with both rebutting all attempts from the players, coaches and wider community to do something about it. The club died in 2020 when the lease holder finally handed the keys back to the council when the pandemic happened and he could no longer make money from the bar. The team and management stayed together, dropped two divisions and won the Mid Sussex Championship last season playing on Southwick Recreation ground next door. This season in the Mid Sussex Premier League we have to ground share due to league regs - now one step away from SCFL One and a return to senior football.

As for Old Barn Way, it will be redeveloped by the Russell Martin Foundation with help from local people: AFC aim to make an unanswerable case for a return both on the pitch and in the community.

I've already posted how much fun this is as a complement to the brilliant football the Albion are playing, and there's hardly ever a clash of fixtures

 

[Deanbha]

All the best Southwick but I'm off to watch Forest row v Shoreham

 

[MattBackHome]

Exactly the same as Old Barn Way. If you're travelling from west of Southwick to Falmer you'll see the state of it, it has been a disgrace to Southwick for years, slowly falling further and further into disrepair due to council and lease holder neglect, with both rebutting all attempts from the players, coaches and wider community to do something about it. The club died in 2020 when the lease holder finally handed the keys back to the council when the pandemic happened and he could no longer make money from the bar. The team and management stayed together, dropped two divisions and won the Mid Sussex Championship last season playing on Southwick Recreation ground next door. This season in the Mid Sussex Premier League we have to ground share due to league regs - now one step away from SCFL One and a return to senior football.

As for Old Barn Way, it will be redeveloped by the Russell Martin Foundation with help from local people: AFC aim to make an unanswerable case for a return both on the pitch and in the community.

I've already posted how much fun this is as a complement to the brilliant football the Albion are playing, and there's hardly ever a clash of fixtures

What's the deal with a that 'loyalty payments' hoo Haa?

Sent from my SM-A715F using Tapatalk

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

Great stuff Atilla. Community football at it's very best. Hope the day is a great success.

cheers


TNBA


TTF

 

[AmexRuislip]

The big day is here. The banner, programmes, leaflets, beer (by Brighton Bier and Loud Shirt Beer) are ready. The excellent Whitehawk FC cafe will be open serving hot food to soak up the beer! Your pre match music selector has some bangin' punk, ska, reggae and rap ready to go. (Yes, I'm back on the PA again after 14 years bringing the noise at the Albion �� )
Free admission, with donation to club funds to help us pay the rent!

And most importantly the incredibly loyal and lovely players and management of AFC Southwick - who have stayed together after our Old Barn Way ground was closed due to lease holder and council neglect and the old club died, dropping two divisions and playing park football to get promotion last season - are ready to give their all against league favourites Sidley United. Good luck to one and all, and managers Sammy Donnelly and Gratters, playing at a proper ground again, they don't half deserve it. Thanks to Whitehawk FC and the Hawks Ultras for welcoming us.

Hope to see some of you there! And afterwards there are no less than TWO beer festivals right next to each other in Southwick - a Thornbridge v Dark Star soundclash special at Southwick Beer Engine and Southwick Beer Festival at Southwick Community Centre. Grass roots beer, music and football. The stuff of life. ��
https://www.facebook.com/events/545114563492531

Sorry [MENTION=528]attila[/MENTION] I'll be rooting for Sidley on this one

 

[jcdenton08]

Seaford at home to high-flying Roffey today. £5, £3 concessions

 

[Whitechapel]

Good luck to the Wickers, some good lads and great players in that starting XI today.

 

[AmexRuislip]

[tweet]1434166582192836612[/tweet]

 

[Mental Lental]

Exactly the same as Old Barn Way. If you're travelling from west of Southwick to Falmer you'll see the state of it, it has been a disgrace to Southwick for years, slowly falling further and further into disrepair due to council and lease holder neglect, with both rebutting all attempts from the players, coaches and wider community to do something about it. The club died in 2020 when the lease holder finally handed the keys back to the council when the pandemic happened and he could no longer make money from the bar. The team and management stayed together, dropped two divisions and won the Mid Sussex Championship last season playing on Southwick Recreation ground next door. This season in the Mid Sussex Premier League we have to ground share due to league regs - now one step away from SCFL One and a return to senior football.

As for Old Barn Way, it will be redeveloped by the Russell Martin Foundation with help from local people: AFC aim to make an unanswerable case for a return both on the pitch and in the community.

I've already posted how much fun this is as a complement to the brilliant football the Albion are playing, and there's hardly ever a clash of fixtures

I grew up on the corner of Manor Hall Rd and Hadrian Av. Reading here that Old Barn Way is no more fills me with great sadness. You have all the moral support I can offer from 6000 miles away.

 

[Mental Lental]

\The team and management stayed together, dropped two divisions and won the Mid Sussex Championship last season playing on Southwick Recreation ground next door.\

Wait so Southwick are now playing on The Rec? Basically "the park" then. Where we all played jumpers for goalposts footy and joked about the movie Predator being filmed in Spider Wood?

That Rec?

 

[timbha]

Wait so Southwick are now playing on The Rec? Basically "the park" then. Where we all played jumpers for goalposts footy and joked about the movie Predator being filmed in Spider Wood?

That Rec?

I think you’ve missed the point of this thread. Read the first post again

 

[BN9 BHA]

Wait so Southwick are now playing on The Rec? Basically "the park" then. Where we all played jumpers for goalposts footy and joked about the movie Predator being filmed in Spider Wood?

That Rec?

Last season they did, playing at Whitehawk’s ground this season.

 

[Bodian]

Wait so Southwick are now playing on The Rec? Basically "the park" then. Where we all played jumpers for goalposts footy and joked about the movie Predator being filmed in Spider Wood?

That Rec?

That Rec indeed - the one where whenever a train passed, for some reason we all had to have our feet off the ground (ie: on the swings, slides, hanging from the crossbar - that sort of thing). And given how frequent the trains were....

 

[attila]

Lovely day. Great performance against a very good side. Nearly 100 spectators, mix of Wickers, Albion faces and Eli who travelled all the way from Somerset. Lovely ale.
Yes, what happened to Old Barn Way is an utter disgrace. Not just the negligence of the lease holder, but the refusal of the council to inspect their own property as it crumbled away and total refusal to take away the lease and give it to people who cared about the club.There is a long road back, offers of help and sponsorship are welcome. I shall be doing all I can, Albion fixtures and gigs permitting. They are a lovely bunch of players and having never been involved in grass roots football (though watched plenty) it is a real eye opener to spend time with people who play the game for the sheer love of it and a welcome accompaniment to cheering on the Albion in the money go round of the PL....