Horsham YM

Horsham YM FC is a non-league football club who were formed in 1898 as Horsham YMCA, in the town in West Sussex of the same name, located thirty-one miles southwest of London, playing their home games at Lyons Field. They amended their title in May 2025 with the club being rebranded.

Initially, the club joined the Horsham and District League before becoming members of the Crawley and District Football League. A move to the Mid-Sussex League followed after Gorings Mead had been moved into in 1929, before the ‘YM’ joined the Sussex County League as a Division Two side in 1959. 

The title was lifted in 1965-66 to win promotion to Division One, but the team was subsequently relegated in 1981-82. Undaunted, the side regathered to lift the Division Two title twelve months later to regain their loftier status.

Another relegation followed in 1987-88 before the arrival of John Suter as manager, who led the side to promotion in 1995-96. The club was crowned as Sussex County League champions in 2004-05. However, they were denied promotion because of ground grading regulations.

 

The title was retained the following season, and with Gorings Mead having received an upgrade, the YM were promoted to Division One South of the Isthmian League. The side were relegated at the end of the 2007-08 campaign, as manager Suter was replaced by Chris White after nineteen years at the helm.

His side went straight back up after a third-place finish, where they competed in the Isthmian League for a further two seasons. In 2009-10, neighbours Horsham FC became tenants after selling their Queen Street home, just a corner kick away. 

White departed for Worthing, with Colin Jenkinson, John Cumberbatch, and Sammy Donnelly having spells as manager as the club went back down to the Sussex County League in 2010-11, before the appointment of Peter Buckland late in the 2011-12 season.

The county league was absorbed at the start of the 2015-16 campaign to become the Southern Combination League, in which YM were placed in the Premier Division. The side finished runners-up in 2018-19 before two seasons were lost to the worldwide pandemic. 

Buckland resigned and was replaced by Julian Miller during the shutdown. He lasted until November 2020, when record appearance holder Dean Carden was appointed as manager. In December 2024, he was replaced by Liam Giles.

The club will compete in the Southern Combination League Premier Division in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Saturday 22nd December 2007 

I arrived at lunchtime in the very pleasant market town of Horsham. I was going to watch the match between Horsham and Maidstone United that afternoon after I had a wander around the town centre and called in on Goring's Mead for a photocall.

I walked past the lane leading down to Horsham FC and turned right off Brighton Road, down to the dead end at the bottom of Goring's Mead. The gates were locked, but the fence was easy to see through. 

Straddling the halfway line on the far side was the raised Victor Gladwish Stand, complete with blue seats. The changing rooms and clubhouse were also alongside. The near touchline had a basic cover for standing spectators. 

The Queen Street home of their neighbouring club, Horsham FC, was behind the fence on this side. The rest of the YM ground consisted of open flat grass and pathways. It seemed a basic but quaint venue.

Since my visit

A small covered terrace and seated stand were added along the near side to allow Horsham FC to use the ground in the Isthmian Premier League.