01/08/2022
After the weekends announcement about Old Barn Way a former clubman has made this statement:
All the club needed was a written guarantee to fulfil what we all committed and set out for and that was to head Southwick Football club back to its home back to the community after we lost everything in 2020
Unfortunately without a written agreement from the new leaseholders about a move back to Old Barn Way we could not commit to groundsharing and financially we would have struggled. We had sponsors lined up ready to take us to another stage in our future but they also wanted to know we would be going back to old barn way. It was 2020 when the players , committee , management were ready to save this club, over 50 years of involvement between the people at the club of the 130+ history ready to save it.
So many people put their time, effort & money into it. It was blood sweat & tears and roll your sleeves up time but we all knew where wanted to be and go the light at the end of the tunnel and a return to Old Barn Way. We went through everything to save it, forced out of one club, the players told to pay a loyalty fee through all this which was a lack of respect to the loyalty shown over the years and the way it was handled. We had to play away from the community to climb back up the leagues and this was to compete in the higher leagues we deserved to be in and this would eventually take the club back home in the league we left in 2020 which would have been the County league where the players and management and team were relegated from when we lost our ground, to have that opportunity taken away from us all is devastating and everyone that has had attachments with this club, players who have stood on the sideline watching many of there family members play in the past and also watching their hero’s growing up playing for Southwick.
Then the news come over the weekend, To then find out a team who has no connection with Southwick football club has been given a guarantee to play there hurts us all to see and read this a team that have changed their name to southwick football club. it feels like we, and us who had attachments to this club, were never wanted and we all feel cheated. But we know the history lies with us and the people who have played for this club over the years, 1882 this club was founded it’s seen everything from The fa cup days to the bumper crowds.
We hope everyone who has had involvement with this club over it’s time understands we did everything possible to save it, but it was not to be. Good luck to all the players who have ventured onto new clubs & management. You all deserve to be happy playing football and to be still involved in the game
Thank you for all the memories over the years.
And one last time UP THE WICKERS ❤️ 🖤
