Hastings Football History

Hastings & St Leonards Football History: A Historical Overview

Football has been played across England since at least the 14th century, though those early, informal games would be almost unrecognisable compared to the sport we know today. The modern game began to take shape in public schools, and Sussex was no exception. Lancing College introduced its own code of football in 1856, notably adding the goalkeeper position. At the time, it was common for schools to create their own rules—Rugby, Eton, and Westminster all developed distinct versions of the game.

This period saw the first major divide between rugby and association football. Schools such as Rugby and Marlborough favoured a game where the ball could be carried, while Eton and Harrow preferred a dribbling style. A third group, including Westminster and Charterhouse, prohibited handling the ball entirely.

The Football Association was formed in 1863, and Lancing College and Brighton College adopted its rules in 1871 and 1873 respectively. By the late 1870s, the kicking game had spread across Sussex, with schools in Hastings advertising football as part of their extracurricular activities.

The first recorded association football match involving a Hastings team took place on 12 November 1879, when Hastings & St Leonards Football Club lost 7–0 to New College, Eastbourne (now Eastbourne College). Formed in 1875 as part of the Hastings & St Leonards Amateur Athletic Club, the club initially preferred rugby and often struggled to field teams for association matches.

Like many Victorian sports, football was initially an upper- and middle-class pursuit, dominated by privately educated players. From the 1870s into the 1880s, the Hastings & St Leonards Observer regularly reported on matches involving local schools such as The Lindens, University School, St Leonards Collegiate, Highbury House, and Mount Lodge. Short-lived clubs also appeared during this time, though it is unclear whether they played rugby or association rules.

The Lindens hosted the first known association match in the borough on 11 November 1881, drawing 3–3 against Eastbourne College at St Leonards Green. The Lindens was located on Upper Maze Hill before later becoming a care home and, eventually, apartments around 2007.

The first recorded club in the borough formed exclusively to play association football was St Leonards Swifts, established at the Clarence Hotel on 11 December 1889. They entered the Sussex Junior and Senior Cups that season but survived only three years.

By the 1890s, football was becoming increasingly popular among the working classes, aided by business owners and clergy who saw the sport as a way to boost morale and promote healthy living. Works teams emerged across England—Newton Heath (later Manchester United) and Thames Ironworks (later West Ham United) among them—while church-based teams included St Mark’s (Manchester City) and St Mary’s (Southampton). Locally, teams were formed by the post office, police, Hastings Observer, and Hastings Tramways Company, as well as youth organisations such as the Boys’ Own Society and Boys’ Brigade. Rural clubs also appeared in Battle, Burwash, Hawkhurst, and Rye, many of which still exist today.

Given the demographics of Hastings & St Leonards, it is unsurprising that the area’s most senior club, Hastings United, has working-class roots. On 22 August 1893, Rock-a-Nore FC was formed at a meeting in the London Trader, with most members being fishermen and boatmen from the Old Town. The club quickly became one of the strongest in the district, winning the Sussex Junior Cup in 1920 and later becoming founder members of the Sussex County League after moving to the newly laid-out Pilot Field. In 1921, they changed their name to Hastings & St Leonards FC, then to Hastings Town in 1976, and finally to Hastings United in 2002, adopting the identity of the former professional club that had competed in the Southern League between 1948 and 1985.

As football opened to all classes, its popularity soared, eventually overtaking cricket as the most played sport. Complaints arose that the Central Ground committee favoured cricket, restricting football despite its larger crowds—one match between Hastings Athletic and London Polytechnic reportedly drew 2,000–3,000 spectators.

The Hastings & St Leonards Football Association was formed in 1892 at the Bedford Hotel, soon seeking a dedicated football venue while Brighton FA assisted with drafting rules. The association agreed to use the Central Ground between October and April, sharing gate receipts, and introduced the Carlisle Cup for local teams. The East Sussex League followed in 1896, with Hastings & St Leonards FC winning its inaugural season and later joining the South Eastern League in 1904. Fierce rivalries developed, notably with St Leonards United, the first local club to turn professional in 1905. Despite ambitions to reach the Southern League First Division, financial struggles led to the club folding in 1910.

St Leonards Amateurs rose to prominence after 1910, winning the East Sussex League and the Sussex Senior Cup before joining the Athenian League. The outbreak of World War I halted competitive football, and many local players, including Bert Beney—formerly of Hastings & St Leonards FC and Arsenal—lost their lives in action.

Post-war, new clubs emerged, but a shortage of pitches became a pressing issue. The Pilot Field was eventually chosen as the borough’s main ground, hosting Rock-a-Nore’s first match there in 1920. The club enjoyed success in the Southern Amateur League during the 1920s, while Hastings Council expanded recreational facilities across the borough.

World War II again disrupted football, but Hastings & St Leonards returned to competitive action post-war, joining the Corinthian League in 1946. Professional football returned in 1948 with the formation of Hastings United, whose FA Cup run in 1954 drew a record crowd of 12,527 against Norwich City. However, financial difficulties plagued the club, leading to its closure in 1985.

The 1990s marked a golden age for local football, with Hastings Town and STAMCO achieving notable successes. Hastings Town won the Southern League Southern Division in 1991–92, while STAMCO climbed through the ranks, eventually becoming St Leonards Stamcroft and competing in the Southern League Premier Division. The two clubs faced each other in the same league for the first time in 1997–98, with Hastings emerging dominant.

In 2002, Hastings Town rebranded as Hastings United, reviving the historic name. St Leonards folded in 2005 amid financial struggles, while Hastings United continued to compete, enjoying an FA Cup run to the third round in 2012–13.

Recent years have seen efforts to relocate from the ageing Pilot Field, with proposals for new grounds at Tile Kiln and Bexhill Road ultimately falling through. The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted local football, curtailing seasons and cancelling competitions, though clubs such as Sidley United and Hollington United still claimed league honours under revised formats.