Sittingbourne

Sittingbourne FC

Ground: The Staxson Stadium - Woodstock Park

Capacity: 1,930

Club Founded: 1886

League: Isthmian League South East Division - Step 6/8th Tier (current level)

Kent's Sittingbourne FC is a fine example of a football club that has recovered from its mistakes regarding its grandiose stadium to continue serving its supporters.

Woodstock Park - Image taken from the internet

A Potted History of Sittingbourne FC 

The Early Years

The club was formed by merging with Nil Desperandum and soon became a founding member of the Kent League. Initially, they played at the Recreation Ground, Sittingbourne United's former home, before moving to Gore Court Cricket Ground and, in 1892, relocating to a field behind The Bull pub in the centre of the town.

Sittingbourne were crowned champions in 1902-03, before having brief spells in the South Eastern League and Southern League. A couple of periods overcoming serious financial issues were followed by the purchase of the Bull Ground in 1954, which was celebrated by a game against Poland and two more Kent League titles.

The Entrance to Woodstock Park - Image taken from the internet

The Move to Central Park

Gorden Burden managed the team to another Kent League title in 1975-76. The feat was repeated eight seasons later with Peter Laraman at the helm. In February 1990, the huge decision was made to sell The Bull Ground for redevelopment to move to a stadium at Central Park, a huge site which included a greyhound track and top-of-the-range facilities.

In their first season in their new home, the Brickies lifted the Kent League title. The side went unbeaten throughout, achieved through a large playing budget. The spending continued as Sittingbourne won the Southern League Southern Division title in 1992-93 with John Ryan managing the side.

The Bull Ground's old Main Stand 

The Man Utd of Non-League Football

The club was described as the Manchester United of non-league football at the time. 'Bourne were relegated from the Premier Division in 1994-95 as Steve Lovell took over team affairs and his budget was cut while the club spent heavily on developing the new stadium, including some of the funds from the sale of their former ground.

The team bounced back, winning the Southern Division the following season, but huge problems were just around the corner. The club was locked out of Central Park, and greyhound racing ceased. It looked like the end until a deal was agreed between Swale Council and the liquidators. 

Saved and a Move to Bourne Park

Lovell departed in September 1996 to be replaced by Alan Walker. By March 1997, there was no money to pay the players. A deal was signed to restage greyhound racing and offer the club their required lease. Both Arsenal and Millwall sent teams to play friendlies at Central Park to help raise cash while waiving their expenses, before the Brickies were relegated.

The club decided to move out of Central Park in 2002-03 and develop one of the training pitches on the complex with stands, naming it Bourne Park. It included the original stand from The Bull Ground, which was brought back to life. Sittingbourne were switched to Division One South of the Isthmian League from 2006-07. 

Central Park's main stand

The Woodstock Park Era

Gary Abbott was appointed as manager the following season, taking his side to a Kent County Cup win before his playing budget was cut. Managers came and went before the Brickies moved south of the town to Woodstock Park for the 2012-13 season under new chairman Maurice Dunk after Bourne Park became outdated and expensive to maintain.

The team was transferred to Division South East of the Isthmian League after restructuring for the 2018-19 campaign. Ryan Maxwell took the Brickies to the playoffs in 2023-24, where they lost their home semifinal to Three Bridges.

The terraced cover at Central Park

Recent Seasons

The signs of promise were in place, with the following season seeing Sittingbourne go on a tremendous FA Trophy run, defeating Salisbury and Southend United before going out in the quarter-final at home to Aldershot Town. In the playoffs, the Brickies lost the final on penalties to Burgess Hill Town.

Maxwell departed in November 2025 to take the Welling United job, with Reece Prestedge appointed in his place. A playoff semi-final defeat followed a few months later against Croydon Athletic.

The stand from The Bull Ground
Given a second life at Bourne Park

My visit

Central Park and Bourne Park

Friday 16th July 2010

I was on annual leave from work, so I decided, after plenty of research, to have a day’s groundhopping in North Kent. I had a relaxing break in Faversham after I undertook other ground visits before arriving in Sittingbourne. I had wanted to visit both Bourne and Central Park for some time. 

My parents had mentioned they’d visited the town when I was just a nipper to visit relatives. I remembered when living in Scarborough how Sittingbourne were making big noises about moving up through the leagues at their super stadium when they first moved in. 

Added to this, my good mate and fellow Scarborough fan, Simon, worked near the ground, so I’d no doubt get the chance to see him. I needed a walk after my splendid pub lunch in Faversham, and sure enough, I got one. The stadium's complex was on the far side of an industrial estate along soulless roads. 

The approach to the grounds was Church Road, which had some very old terraced houses, a boarded-up pub, a sports and social club, restricted access, and a general feel of neglect. Everywhere seemed litter-strewn and overgrown. Simon telephoned me and agreed to meet me outside the stadium once I'd completed my tasks. 

The entrance to Central Park was certainly grand. It had a huge gateway and car park with an imposing Main Stand. It would have graced a Football League club, but it had been built in the completely wrong place. No buses served the stadium, and unless you have a car, it would take a very devoted supporter to walk there on a dark midweek night. 

The main stadium was locked up, so I couldn't get inside. I knew from the internet that the Main Stand was all-seated, with a section of covered terrace on the far side and a section of open terracing behind each goal curving around the greyhound track. Many of the stadium entrances were now disused and derelict. 

It was hard to tell whether the stadium had been totally abandoned. The only sign of life was a business that had rented out a unit at the rear of the stand as an HQ. It was a desperate sight. I walked past a practice pitch down a slope and into another huge car park servicing Bourne Park. 

A gentleman gave me permission to enter the far corner. Well, I hate to say it, but Bourne Park was also a bit of a mess.  The main stand was decent enough on the halfway line on the far touchline and was in reasonable condition. On the near side, there were a couple of basic covers without any elevation for standing fans. 

A cover held up with a scaffolding pole support was behind the near goal, along with several portakabin buildings offering services. The far end had a small roof and an open standing area.  All the open standing areas consisted of square paving stones, which can look quite smart. Unfortunately, weeks had grown through the gaps, making it look unkempt.

Although, to be fair, it was still pre-season, and such work could well be about to be carried out. I certainly hoped so. I just found it very sad that a club bobbing happily along sold a prime site and was cast into the wilderness on the edge of town. It's a lesson many clubs would do well to learn from.

I met Simon, and we walked back into town and connected onto our train for the next call at Gillingham while catching up with everything.