Seaford
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Seaford
Rugby Football Club
estled in the lee of the South Downs , equidistant between Brighton and Eastbourne on the East Sussex Coast lies the small dormitory town of Seaford ( pronounced by the locals as Sea – ford !) With a population of 27,000 , the town is mainly urban housing with small pockets of light industry and surprisingly little tourism . There is a bustling shopping centre with many local traders as well as coffee shops , pubs and restaurants .
Between the end of the Second World War and the early eighties , Seaford was well known for the amount of boarding schools in the town . As a result , a number of celebrities attended the various education establishments including actors Dame Penelope Keith , Margaret Rutherford and Nigel Davenport , comedian Dickie Henderson and soviet spy Sir Anthony Blunt .
Famous Seafordians include actors Maurice Denholm , twins Cassie and Connie Powney ( Hollyoaks ) – whose family have strong links with the club , Rock drummers Pete Thomas ( Elvis Costello ) and Paul Garred ( The Kooks ). Ex-stuntman Eddie Kidd still lives in the town .
The town is dominated by Seaford Head , the chalk cliff ( seen at the beginning of Reggie Perrin ) that is found at the western boundary of Seven Sisters Country Park . Take a brisk walk to the summit and you will be treated to the iconic view of Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters themselves . The beach and promenade are popular locations on a summer ’ s day to not only the residents of the town , but also those within Sussex and beyond who want somewhere a little more sedate than the bigger , busier resorts .
It is just on the land side of the promenade you will find the Salts recreation ground , home of Seaford Rugby Club .
Formed in 1938 , the club fields two senior teams , a ladies side and has an active mini and junior section , with teams of all ages from seven to seventeen . There is a loyal band of alickadoos , the Old Salts ( ex-players ), who provide support on a Saturday , prop up the bar and talk about how things were better in their day . Some of these have been members for over 50 years !
Unique in that the pitch is actually below sea level , playing rugby at the Salts brings its own challenges when a force ten is blowing in off the sea . All the players , no matter what age or sex are fiercely loyal to the club and are proud to wear the scarlet shirt .
Seaford have had relatively modest success over the past eighty years , but unlike other clubs in the area , although ambitious , recognises the need to have its roots within the community . They are limited as to where players are recruited from in that one hundred and eighty degrees of the catchment area is sea !
Weekends are extremely busy at the clubhouse during the season . Saturday sees the two senior sides playing their league matches . Following ‘ hostilities ’ on the pitch players and supporters of both teams retire to the bar to celebrate or commiserate . If England are playing on that day an even bigger crowd gathers with many local residents coming to watch the game and sample the atmosphere of a rugby club . Many end up becoming social members and return time and again .
Sunday mornings see the minis and juniors , along with mums and dads come to the club for training and matches . This is always a social event with plenty of warming hot food and drinks for cold parents ! This is a great way to introduce youngsters into the rugby family . Parents are encouraged to take part in training and some even pull on their boots and come and play on a Saturday for the men or Sunday for the ladies .
It is well known fact that community clubs such as Seaford depend heavily on youngsters developing and progressing to the senior sides in order to survive . At present numbers are dropping in the senior game , some smaller clubs have disbanded . It is therefore important to have a vibrant mini and junior section .
And so , to keep that conveyor belt going , the club have this season employed a Youth Development Officer , Kevin Lewis . He has liaised with all the schools in the area so that youngsters are made aware of what Seaford RFC can offer . It is early days , but the signs are good , with a number of new boys
32 Issue 18