Megazone
On his last warning
Is he the only Brightonian/Sussex footballer in the Prem?
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are sussex folk just shit at football....???
- Thread starter sydney
- Start date
Is he the only Brightonian/Sussex footballer in the Prem?
Him and Gareth Barry
Megazone
On his last warning
Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook too.
Is that 2/3 Prem captains all from Sussex?
Sorry, yes. Martin, Barry, Cook and Elphick, plus TECHNICALLY still a Premiership player (though on loan in League One right now) Dean Hammond.
Megazone
On his last warning
I think it's fair to say, Hastings seems to be the footballing hub of Sussex.
AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
NSC seems to do this topic every couple of years or so. Here is a similar one from April 2014 - Professional Footballers from Sussex
I posted the following on April 3 2014:-
To add one more plying his trade "abroad" - Kieran Sadlier, born in Haywards Heath, and previously of West Ham, St Mirren, Peterborough and Halifax, has just signed for Sligo Rovers.
I posted the following on April 3 2014:-
To add one more plying his trade "abroad" - Kieran Sadlier, born in Haywards Heath, and previously of West Ham, St Mirren, Peterborough and Halifax, has just signed for Sligo Rovers.
vegster
Sanity Clause
- May 5, 2008
- 28,273
We should invite a team from Wales over to play us then call it a World Series...
BrianWade4
Well-known member
And Russell Martin at Norwich
Seagulls over Essex
New member
I knew Chris.
I played with him for a while on Sundays.
Best footballer I ever played with. He was around 19 at the time.
We would take free-kicks together. My job was to say which corner to put it in, and he would oblige every time
He was playing for Worthing on Saturdays.
If I remember rightly, he turned a car over and did his back, and was never the same player again.
Such a big shame.
A couple of other good players around that time were Alan Dawes, Jason Rutherford, Steve Farrell, Graham Rice.
May be scouting in Sussex back then was not covered so well
I was at school with Jason Rutherford. What level did he play at, out of interest?
I always thought he was born in the old Cuckfield hospital. Am I mistaken?
Born in Watford.
Thats quite an extensive list and kinda answers the question that Sussex does indeed have the talent but will it have the opportunity from now on in ??
It seems that most made their pathway into the game through our Centre of Excellent back in the day, a time when the club had a policy and perhaps no option but to recruit nearly solely from within Sussex, looking down the list not really aware of any obvious magicians, just good players well coached and many who if today could quite easily be overlooked.
Perhaps the club will help a similar percentage attain some level of a career within the game but unlikely for those players to be from Sussex, policy drives outcomes and never believe the mantra 'if your good enough' syndrome, that's an effort to avoid analysis and scrutiny.
County League. Also managed at County League as well
Wasn't he down Wick, Arundel way ??
grummitts gloves
New member
I do wander just how much scouting goes on at youth level within the county. Obviously the Sussex Sunday Youth League is the biggest in the area and I've seen some scouts at games over the years and know of boys who have had trials etc at the Albion. I've also had involvement in the Horsham District Youth League for quite a few years and I've never heard of any scouts at those games. I know there are many other 'smaller' leagues in the county, so are BHAFC potentially missing out or is the scouting so 'covert' you never get to hear of it unless you manage a team that has a player in it that they are looking at?
BHA will inevitably bring in the better young players from Brighton Boys, Sussex Schools and a few more around the edges, but undoubtedly lately they have other priorities.
If you have a dedicated scouting network in other areas it is inevitable that it will diminish the intake from Sussex, players that otherwise might have had an opportunity will no longer, that's the logical outcome.
If you have a paid/expenses scouts from perhaps Hampshire or Essex, which young player will ultimately get the nod when assessing these similar talented players from say those areas and a kid from say Portslade with only really two places remaining (there is always a finite number of places, always), the meeting in the Recruitment Suite at the Amex will go something like this 'yeah bring in the lads from outside the area that our scouts have recommended whilst just keeping tabs on the Portslade kid.
Of course the players then from Hampshire and Essex get access to better coaching, support and goodwill from the clubs coaches whilst Portslade kid gets lost without trace, this happens throughout many clubs depending on their policies, self interest and vested interests effects the outcome of player opportunity, BHA are not unique but if you care to analyse it thats what happens.
I think it was Wick
