Southwick

Southwick FC

Ground: Old Barn Way

Capacity: 2,000

Club Founded: 1882

Club Dissolved: 2020

The sad story of Southwick FC is one of a historic club representing its town that fell out with the grounds landlords after finding itself in financial trouble.

Southwick FC's Story

The Early Years

The club, from a western suburb of the city of Brighton & Hove, was formed in 1882, becoming members of the Sussex County League, going on to be crowned champions on four occasions, as well as finishing as runners-up four times. 

In 1952, Southwick had a brief spell in the Metropolitan League before returning to the county competition. A fifth league title was lifted in 1968-69, with a sixth midway through the following decade in a season that the team made the club's only FA Cup first-round appearance. It ended in a 5-0 defeat at Dean Court against AFC Bournemouth.

80s and 90s

The Wickers joined the Combined Counties League for the 1984-85 season, winning promotion to the Isthmian League a season later after cash was invested in the squad. Another promotion followed under manager Barry Lloyd before the cash ran out and the Old Barn Way ground struggled to meet the grading requirements. 

The club nearly went bust, but the efforts of George Bailey and Mick Fogden behind the scenes saved the day. The club rejoined the Sussex County League, where, within a decade, relegations and promotions saw Southwich in the league's second tier. 

Debt and Eviction 

After going down one more level, Southwick won promotion to the Southern Combination Division One, as the Sussex County League had been renamed under manager John Kilgarriff. The club was reformed with a new company being set up. Managers came and went before the vastly experienced Sammy Donnelly was put in charge of team affairs.

Southwick FC's owner failed to maintain Old Barn Way and handed the venue back to the local council in March 2020. Serious licensing breaches were uncovered, including illegally subletting the venue for personal profit. The club was evicted and became homeless with debts of around £500,000 against its name. 

Revival Attempts

Southwick FC was wound up. A phoenix club, Southwick 1882 FC, was established and placed in the second tier of the Mid-Sussex League for the 2020-21 season, playing at Southwick Recreation Ground. Another club, AFC Southwick, was set up by Donnelly and many of the players, while Old Barn Way was developed for community use.

My visit

Friday 30th November 2008

I arrived in Brighton after a rather hazy, long coach journey from London. This was undoubtedly because of the hangover I was wearing following a night out in the capital with my brother Nick. 

The journey was spent listening to Talksport's Mike 'Porky' Parry proclaiming that the FA had made a brilliant decision in pinpointing Fabio Capello as the man to take the national team forward. I must have been in a bit of a mess, as I believed what I was hearing.

From Brighton railway station, I caught the train to Fishergate station. It was a short walk to the car park at Southwick's Old Barn Way, home. The club was to be the first of six I was to visit throughout the day along the West Sussex coast. I entered the open clubhouse outside the grounds entrance and was given permission to go inside and take some photos.

Old Barn Way was a basic venue, and it was obvious why the club struggled to invest in it for them to progress during the boom years. It was basically hemmed in with flat open standing all the way round, apart from a few steps of terracing by the turnstiles and a small cover next to the clubhouse. A grandstand formerly stood on the far side.

I left and cut along the side of the railway to catch a train from Southwick station to Shoreham, where I would encounter great difficulties finding the grounds entrance!