Horsham
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“As anybody involved in running
a non-league football club will tell you,
there are inevitably frustrations. Many of
these involve finance, or the lack of it. But
somehow it simply gets into your blood
and there is always a solution to any
problem - it simply takes time, volunteers
and the generosity of supporters to find
it. I may have the privileged position of
being on the Board but at heart we are all
supporters of our Club and its traditions
which go back as far as 1881. And, of
course, we are all unpaid.
“Over the years the we have
experienced every emotion going. We
have had great teams at times and
scratched around to field eleven players
at others. We have been relegated (once)
and been rock bottom of the pile yet
bounced back to see the great times
again.
“In 2008, at the end of the season
which saw arguably our greatest
achievement on the field when we drew
at home against Swansea City in the 2nd
round of the FA cup before bowing out
at the Liberty Stadium (both matches
live on Sky TV,) we had to move out
of Queen Street which had been our
home for over a century. Since then we
have been nomads, groundsharing at
Worthing, Horsham YMCA and, for the
last two seasons, the Sussex County FA
HQ at Lancing. But at least we have kept
the Horsham Football Club going.
“There is now a real buzz around the
Club. We are fortunate in that our core
support has remained loyal to us despite
having to travel to both home and away
matches. After many years of trying,
planning permission was granted for our
new stadium back in Horsham. It is due
for completion this May and comprises
two 3G pitches, a 300-seater grandstand,
four smaller stands and large clubhouse
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and everyone throughout the Club and
the District as a whole is so excited at this
new chapter in the Club’s history.
“It will enable us to engage fully once
more with the community at large and
to provide all ages with the opportunity
to play and watch the beautiful game.
We have been hampered in our ability
to field as many youth teams as we
would like because of the lack of
facilities but over the next couple of
seasons we have progressive plans to
rectify that. It is important that there is
a smooth transition within the Club to
a high standard of competitive football
for promising talent within the youth
structure.
“It is also proving to be a fantastic
season on the field. Our manager, Dom
Di Paola, has put together a fine squad
who play attractive football and, at this
stage, we look to be in a strong position
to secure a play-off place in the Bostik
League South East. This gives us real
momentum as we move into the new
stadium next season. We would hope to
re-establish ourselves as a competitive
Bostik Premier outfit in the not too
distant future. Once we have achieved
that we will review our ambitions once
more.
“Of course, the new venture at the
Hop Oast is going to be a challenge.
Given that we have been homeless for
eleven years it is a complete new learning
curve. We have to run the club effectively
and ensure that we are financially secure
for generations to come. But with the
fine band of enthusiastic volunteers and
supporters who are at the heart of the
Club, I have every confidence that it will
be a resounding success.”