Steyning Town F.C.

Full nameSteyning Town Community Football Club
Nickname(s)The Reds / Town / the Barrowmen
Founded1892
GroundThe Shooting Field, Steyning
ChairmanIan Nichols
ManagerGerry Murphy
LeagueIsthmian League South East Division
2023–24Southern Combination Premier Division, 1st of 20 (promoted)

Steyning Town Community Football Club is a football club based in Steyning, West Sussex, England. The club is an FA Charter Standard community club, affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association.[1] The club are currently members of the Isthmian League South East Division and play at the Shooting Field.

History

The club was established in 1892, and were originally called Steyning.[2] The club became founding members of the West Sussex Football League in 1896, joining the junior Division.[3]

The club joined Division Two of the Brighton, Hove & District Football League for the 1919–20 season.[4] The club remained in division two until the end of the 1933–34 season, when they finished as champions and gained promotion to Division one.[5] The club spent three seasons in the top division of the league before being relegated, but they finished as champions two seasons later in the 1938–39 campaign, but were not promoted.[6][7][8]

After the second World War, the club was still playing in Division Two of the Brighton & Hove league.[9] The club remained in this division until the end of the 1951–52 campaign when they gained promotion to Division one.[10][11] The 1963–64 campaign saw the club leave division one, when after finishing as runners-up, they gained promotion to Division two of the Sussex County League.[12][13]

For the next 17 seasons Steyning stayed in Division Two of the Sussex County league, until they gained promotion as champions, to Division One at the end of the 1977–78 campaign.[14] After their first season in Division one the club in 1979, they changed their name to their present one.[15] The next season then saw the club make their debut in the FA Cup, where they met Sutton United, in the first qualifying round, but lost 3–1.[16] In the 1984–85 season, they reached the Quarter Finals of the FA Vase, but managed to claim silverware when they won the Division One title for the first time.[16] In the following seasons the club retained the league title and completed a treble by winning the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup and league cup.[15]

After winning the Sussex league the club left the league, to become one of the founder members of the Wessex Football League in 1986.[17] After just two seasons the club left the Wessex league and joined the Combined Counties Football League.[18] At the end of their fifth season in the Combined counties league the club returned to the Sussex county league, but were placed in Division two.[19]

The next four seasons saw the club remain in Division Two of the Sussex county league, until they finished bottom of the division and were relegated to Division three at the end of the 1996–97 campaign.[20] At the fifth attempt the club managed to escape from Division three and return to Division two when they finished as runners up behind Pease Pottage Village at the end of the 2001–02 season. The club has since remained in Division Two of the Sussex county league.[16]

In 2013, Steyning Town FC merged with the Steyning Strikers (Juniors) to become Steyning Town Community FC with 18 teams from men down to U7s and two girls teams.[citation needed]

In September 2016 the club was awarded Sussex FA's Community Club of the Year at a gala dinner at Brighton's Falmer stadium. The club has been pleased to have recently heard that it has also now won Sussex FA's Community Club of the Year again in 2017 and once again will be at a gala dinner at Brighton's Falmerstadium in September 2017.

The club were promoted to the Southern Combination Premier Division as Division One runners-up in the 2018–19 season. In their fifth season at the level, the club were crowned champions of the Premier Division, winning promotion to the Isthmian League South East Division.[21]

Ground

Steyning Town play their home games at the Shooting Field, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RQ.

In October 2016, the club unveiled a new 3G pitch and refurbished clubhouse. The £450,000 development was funded by a local charitable trust, HSBC bank and other private investments.[22]

Honours

League honours

Cup honours

Records

  • Highest League Position: 1st in Sussex County Football League Division One 1984–85, 1985–86 [16]
  • FA Cup best performance: Second qualifying round 1988–89, 2023–24 [16]
  • FA Vase best performance: Quarter Finals 1984–85 [16]

References

  1. ^ "News". SussexFA. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Breakfast and after school club". The Club in Steyning. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Shoreham F.C. – Early football in Shoreham and the 'Glory Years". Shoreham History Portal. Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  11. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Steyning Town FC". Webteams.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  14. ^ "Sussex County League 1960–1980". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Steyning Town FC – Club History". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h STEYNING TOWN at the Football Club History Database
  17. ^ "Wessex League 1986–2011". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Combined Counties League 1978–2002". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  19. ^ "Sussex County League 1980–1993". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  20. ^ "Sussex County League 1993–2003". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  21. ^ Bone, Steve; Woodbridge, Richard (17 April 2024). "Steyning win Southern Combination premier division crown without kicking a ball". Sussex Express. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Steyning set to unveil new 3G surface at the Shooting Field". Sussex Express. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  23. ^ STEYNING at the Football Club History Database
  24. ^ "Brighton, Hove & District Football League". Bhdfl.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  25. ^ "The Sussex Senior Cup". Sussexcountyleague.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  26. ^ "R.U.R. Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football Association". Sussexcountyleague.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  27. ^ "The John O'Hara League Challenge Cup Final Results - Sussex County Football League". Sussexcountyleague.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  28. ^ "SCFL Division 2 Cup - Sussex County Football League". Sussexcountyleague.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  29. ^ "Division 3 Cup – Sussex County Football League". Sussexcountyleague.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  30. ^ a b "SHOREHAM FOOTBALL CLUB – Latest news". Shorehamfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.

50°53′31.80″N 0°19′40.84″W / 50.8921667°N 0.3280111°W / 50.8921667; -0.3280111