History

Club History

Steyning Town Football Club was established in 1892 and was originally called Steyning. The club became founding members of the West Sussex Football League in 1896, joining the junior Division.

The club joined Division 2 of the Brighton, Hove & District Football League for the 1919–20 season, remaining in Division 2 until the end of the 1933–34 season, when they finished as champions and gained promotion to Division 1. The club spent three seasons in the top division of the league before being relegated, but they finished as champions two seasons later in the 1938–39 campaign but were not promoted

After WWII, the club was still playing in Division 2 of the Brighton & Hove league until the end of the 1951–52 campaign when they gained promotion to Division 1. The 1963–64 campaign saw the club leave division one, when after finishing as runners-up, gaining promotion to Division 2 of the Sussex County League.

For the next 17 seasons, Steyning stayed in Division Two of the Sussex County League, until they gained promotion as champions, to Division One at the end of the 1977–78 campaign.[14] After their first season in Division one the club in 1979, they changed their name to their present one.[15] The next season then saw the club make their debut in the FA Cup, where they met Sutton United, in the first qualifying round but lost 3–1.[16] In the 1984–85 season, they reached the Quarter Finals of the FA Vase but managed to claim silverware when they won the Division One title for the first time.[16] In the following seasons, the club retained the league title and completed a treble by winning the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup and league cup.[15]

After winning the Sussex league the club left the league, to become one of the founder members of the Wessex Football League in 1986. Later leaving to join the Combined Counties Football League. At the end of their fifth season in the Combined counties league, the club returned to the Sussex county league but was placed in Division two.

The next four seasons saw the club remain in Division Two until they were relegated to Division Three at the end of the 1996–97 campaign. At the fifth attempt, the club managed to escape from Division three and return to Division two when they finished as runners up behind Pease Pottage Village at the end of the 2001–02 season.

In 2013, Steyning Town FC merged with the Steyning Strikers (Juniors) to become Steyning Town Community FC with 18 teams from men down to U6’s and two girl’s teams.

The club was awarded Sussex FA’s Community Club of the Year in 2016 and 2017

On 16 October 2015, the club opened its new 3G pitch at the Shooting Field ground by Velocityafter 3 months of preparation and groundwork. The 3G surface cost the club over £450,000 and was funded by a donation from the Wilson Memorial Trust, other private investors and an HSBC loan.

At the same time we were fortunate to be able to appoint the experienced Gerry Murphy as manager, who along with Paul Hawkins and Paul Ettridge delivered promotion to the Southern Combination League Premier Division. At the start of this season we were fortunate to be able to appoint our new manager is Kevin Green, with his team of Dan Viggers and Danny Wood.

In 2018 we established a Womens team when Cowfold Ladies FC were looking for a new home. Danny Norris and his team of Geoff Balmont and Alexander Griffin took over management and in 22-22 achieved the double of SECWFL Division One West champions (with promotion to the L&SEWFL) and the SECWFL League Cup.

In addition to our first senior teams the club run a U23 SCFL team, two SSFL Vets teams, SCFL and Mid-Sussex U18 teams, and with our thriving mixed and girls sections we have 30 teams/age-groups up from mini-kickers. We have over 450 registered players. We also England Club Three Stat status, the highest award possible from the FA. We are a Community club.