Seaford Town FC
Ground: The Crouch
Capacity: 2,000
Club Founded: 1932
League: Southern Combination Premier Division - Step 5/9th Tier (current level)
Sussex has a wide range of non-league clubs serving the county, with Seaford Town FC being one based in the centre of the town, co-existing in a local park - a real community club!
A Brief History of Seaford Town FC
The Early Years
The club on England’s south coast was formed in 1888 as Seaford FC, initially competing in local football. Between the wars, Seaford played in the
The Badgers went on to join the Sussex County League, after the Town suffix had been added to their name. The team won promotion to the top level of the competition before dropping down again. They remained there, taking a short sabbatical from the league in the late 70s before returning for the 1983-84 season.
The Sussex County League Era
Seaford were promoted from Division Three as champions a couple of seasons later. The team reached the league's top flight but gradually slipped back down the divisions. The club decided to drop out of the Sussex County League once again in the late 90s.
The club joined the East Sussex League, dropping ‘Town’ from their title after merging with the youth sides of Seaford Seagulls, before returning to the Sussex County League in time for the new millennium. The team was soon promoted and added Town to their name again.
The Southern Combination Era
When the Sussex County League was retitled to the Southern Combination, Seaford were placed in Division One. Managers came and went before Paul Wise was appointed. His side reached the playoffs in 2021-22, where Shoreham ended dreams of promotion in the semi-final.
A crowd of approaching 1,000 attended the playoff final against Wick in 2023-24, which the visitors won on penalties. Seaford made no mistake the following season. They won the Division One title, during which manager Wise celebrated 200 games at the helm. Ben Dartnall was appointed manager in February 2025.
My visit
Monday 24th July 2017
My day in East Sussex was underway as I took the train from Victoria down to Lewes. Throughout the joourney I had to contend with a constant irritating noise as a woman just up the carriage did an excellent Sybil Fawlty impression.
She was hammering the poor bloke opposite into submission as it was time to change trains for Seaford. I’m sure they mentioned they were sailing from Newhaven, so I wasn’t too upset to find peace and tranquillity further up the connection.
Having arrived in Seaford, I found myself wandering through the maze of small streets in the pretty little town by the sea, using my Google Maps App. The only problem with that method was that I didn’t realise some streets were little more than alleys.
Eventually, I found myself on track and entering The Crouch, which was a public park with a football ground. The gates were open on all sides; an old couple were even walking across the pitch, taking a shortcut with their shopping.
It was a neat and tidy setup. The club buildings had a small overhang and were located by the entrance in the bottom corner. A neat stand with seats was over on the far side. The rest of the ground was open, flat grass and concrete standing areas.
When I say flat, I mean without any big elevated slopes. However, there was a huge slope across the pitch from the stand side. I could imagine that could have been a bit of an advantage to the home side?
I completed a full lap of the ground to take photos. Three local youths were occupying the home bench, smoking something a tad stronger than the average fags. Once done, I departed from the top gate and caught the number 10 bus on Sutton Road towards Newhaven.
