Wick

Wick FC

Ground: Crabtree Park

Capacity: 2,000

Club Founded: 1892

League: Southern Combination Premier Division - Step 5/9th Tier (current level)

Like many clubs playing county football and the level above, Wick FC continue to improve their facilities to attract the local community, with its vibrant young support.

Club Background

Wick FC is based in the village of the same name, located on the northern edge of the seaside resort of Littlehampton in West Sussex. The club can trace their roots back to 1892. The club soon became a founder member of the West Sussex League four years later and remained in the competition for several decades.

The club joined Division Two of the Sussex County League for the 1964-65 season. A couple of promotions and relegations followed before Wick became Sussex League champions twice in the first half of the 1990's, along with one runners-up finish.

In 2013, it was decided to merge with neighbouring club Barnham FC to become Wick & Barnham United. The relationship lasted three years when both clubs went their own way. Wick were relegated a year later after non-league football was restructured, with the Sussex County League becoming part of the Southern Combination.  

The playoffs were reached in 2022-23 under manager Lee Baldwin. Godalming Town were beaten before a defeat to Epsom & Ewell in the final. The following campaign saw another shot at the playoffs. This time, Worthing United and then Seaford Town were defeated on penalties as Wick won promotion.

The club directors apologised for the behaviour of some of their younger Dragons supporters in the away final. 

Wick FC will compete in the Southern Combination Premier Division in the 2026-27 season.

My visit

Wick P Shoreham P

Friendly - Tuesday 17th July 2012

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 about 8 of us!

I had finished my night shifts and had arranged to meet up with some old pals from Stanley in County Durham, who were heading to stay in Littlehampton and attend the Sussex v Durham County Championship encounter starting the following day at Arundel.

Phil, Joe and Bob were waiting for me at Victoria Station, and we had a good catch-up on the train on the way down to the coast. Phil knew of my passion for non-league football and asked if there was any football on in the area. 

I told him of the friendly at Crabtree Park, which was located a mile away from the Travelodge where we were to stay. The lads said they'd be keen to go along, especially when I mentioned what the website described as a good clubhouse.

After checking in and a couple of pub stops, we took a taxi from The George Inn, the local Wetherspoons establishment. I was a bit concerned as nobody was answering the phone at the ground, especially after my mate Gary had turned up at nearby Arundel FC the previous night to find the game off.

My pals said we might as well go anyway, as it was on the way home. We got out of the taxi to be greeted by a nice bloke who said, "you must be here for the game I've had to call off?" Because of the heavy rain, he'd been unable to get the mower on the pitch, which had been left to grow. 

However, he cheered us by announcing that the bar was open! I went off to take my photos while the others went upstairs. Crabtree Park was an adequate venue for the standard of football played there. There were turnstiles in one corner behind the goal, with the clubhouse and changing rooms in the other.

A small covered area for standing spectators stood near the clubhouse along the touchline. Further up on the other side was a small seated grandstand. I had passed the venue on a previous look at the home of Littlehampton FC, not realising its proximity.

I retired to the bar to join up with the others. The locals were really friendly and hoped for good weather for our cricket the following day. They hadn't produced a programme for that evening's game, but I was given one from the previous season.

We had a couple of pints before walking round the corner to The Locomotive to carry on our evening. I didn't see a game, but I had a cracking night out!