▶ sittingBOurne fOO t B all clu B were fOrmed in 1881
– albeit then known as Sittingbourne United. In 1886 the team formed again, becoming Sittingbourne Football Club. The club has had many successes and difficulties along the way – first of all playing at the Bull Ground,
then moving to Central Park in 1990. In this season the club became the Winstonlead Kent League Champions, remaining unbeaten within their own respective league. This was a European record as the only senior football club in Europe to remain unbeaten within their own respective league. An attendance record of 5,951 spectators watched a friendly with Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday January 26th, 1993. In 1993 the BBC described Sittingbourne as ‘the Manchester
United of Non-league football. However unfortunately financial problems behind the scenes resulted in uncertainty and the club had to move next door to Bourne Park. This proved to still be costly and in the season 2012 / 2013 Sittingbourne then found a new chairman Maurice Dunk and a new home Woodstock Park – where we are today. We have a total of 21 teams across a mix of men’s, youth and ladies’ football. We are keen to bring the good times to Sittingbourne.
andrew marjeram
f O rmed in 1881 as s itting BO urne u
The forerunners of Sittingbourne Football club commenced playing on the newly opened Recreation Ground in 1881, being known as Sittingbourne United before changing to Sittingbourne Football Club five years later. Another local club calling themselves “Nil Desperandums” had been formed. In 1888 it was decided that the Sittingbourne and Nil Desperandums clubs should merge as one. By 1890 Sittingbourne migrated to the Gore Court Cricket Ground.
The 1893/94 season saw the club gain senior status, entering the English Cup for the first time. The Kent League was formed in 1894/95, and the club had a team in each of the two divisions although the first team also played a large number of games against opponents outside of the league, including Arsenal, Millwall and the Orient. Professionalism was adopted during the 1898/99 season and the Kent league was won in season 1902/03.
Our showroom based in Sittingbourne High Street has the choice of over 200 doors for kitchens or bathrooms and worktops available in granite, quartz and laminate.
We provide a full design, supply and installation service for your projects, with our own in-house installation team you have the assurance each project will be carried out to the highest standard. » Our reputation is your guarantee.
The club left the Kent League in 1905/06 to enter the South Eastern League Division One, but by 1909/10 they had returned to familiar territory. The First World War brought a temporary closure, but the club was reformed for the start of the 1919/20 season. Success came in the late 1920s when they won the Kent Senior Shield in 1927 and 1928, the Kent League Cup in 1928 and the Kent Senior Cup in 1929 and 1930.
There was a financial crisis in 1932/33 and the
club went into liquidation. The supporters’ club took over and Sittingbourne survived to the Second World War which once more brought about their enforced closure. In 1946 the club was reformed but three years later it was again in financial difficulty. The hat was passed round at the AGM and this enabled Sittingbourne to start the new season. In January 1954 the Bull Ground was purchased with the help of a £3,000 loan from the FA and help from the supporters’ association.
The “Brickies” or the “Bourne” as they are known, won the Kent Senior Shield that year beating Canterbury City 4-2 in the final. They ended the days of the old Kent League as the strongest team, winning the championship by seven points in 1957/58 and by nine points the following season. They won the Kent Senior Cup in 1958, beating Ramsgate 1-0 in the final at Gillingham in front of a crowd of 10,066. In February 1990, Sittingbourne opted to sell the Bull Ground for development. This venture
VARIETY OF HOT AND COLD FOOD
> Bacon To Burgers
> Chicken Burgers To Chicken Curry
> Full English Breakfast
> Milkshakes - Made With Ice Cream, Fresh Fruit And Chocolate
TRY OUR WHOPPA BURGER
2 Burgers, Bacon, Egg
Cheese & Onions
Hash Browns Or Onion Rings
HOT AND COLD DRINKS
WE ALSO PROVIDE BUFFETS FOR ALL OCCASSIONS TO SUIT YOUR BUDGET - BUSINESS LUNCHES, MEETINGS OR JUST BECAUSE!
Unit 1A Bonham Drive
Eurolink Business Park
Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 3RN
07544 216662
OPENING TIMES
Mon- Fri 6:30Am Till 2:30Pm
Saturday 7:00Am Till 1:00Pm
SUNDAY CLOSED
WE ACCEPT CARD & CASH
WE ALSO SELL VAPES 1 - £6 2 - £10
Express Snack Bar
Trinity Trading Estate
Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2PG
07377 948979
OPENING TIMES
Mon- Fri 5:00Am Till 2:30Pm
Saturday 5:00Am Till 1:30Pm
Sunday 6:00Am Till 1:30Pm
enabled the club to move to a 23-acre site near to the town centre. A 2,000-seater stand complete with executive boxes, boardroom, restaurants and a sports hall have been constructed.
In the season 1990/91, the club’s first at Central Park, Sittingbourne became the Winstonlead Kent League champions courtesy of an unbeaten league campaign. The European newspaper stated that, not only was that a first for the Kent League, it was also a record for the 1990/91 season as they were the only senior football club in Europe to remain unbeaten within their own respective league. Promotion to the Beazer Homes Southern league followed in 1991/92, with the pinnacle of achievement finally being realised in 1992/93, when Sittingbourne gained promotion to the Beazer Homes League Premier Division for the first time. An incredible 1992/93 season saw the Central Park ground attendance record broken five times, with 5,951 spectators turning up to watch the friendly with Tottenham Hotspur in January 1993. BBC television described Sittingbourne as ‘the Manchester United of non-league football’ during a fulllength feature on the club.
Amtico Flooring
Laminate Flooring
LVT Flooring
We tailor our service to each individual customer’s needs whether they are from the domestic, commercial, educational or healthcare sector. Having worked in some of Londons most iconic buildings, we offer a wealth of knowledge and experience in all types of domestic and commercial flooring to suit all budgets. This is why we are different from the rest
Carpet
Vinyl Flooring
Wood Flooring
Safety Flooring
Commercial Flooring
Vast flooring selection: hardwood, laminate, vinyl, carpet, LVT.
Skilled installation team: precise, efficient, flawless finish.
Personalised approach: tailored recommendations for lifestyle.
Uncompromising quality: durable, long-lasting materials.
Competitive pricing: premium floors, accessible to all.
Outstanding customer service: seamless, delightful experience.
With little money to spare to spend on the team, results suffered and they were relegated back to the Southern Division. Swale Council seemed to be the saviour by spending £750,000 to purchase the ground and leasing it back to the club. The next season saw yet another crushing blow as Swale Council locked the club out for nonpayment of rent. This was followed by the liquidators pulling the plug. It looked odds on that Sittingbourne would be no more, however
an agreement with the council and the liquidators as well as financial support from the supporters’ club allowed the club to carry on. Popular manager Steve Lovell resigned in September because of the uncertain future of the club, being replaced by Alan Walker.
At the beginning of March 1997, chairman Barry Bright announced that the football club could no longer promise to pay the players. The club were finally saved from extinction when Roger Cearns signed a lease with Swale
chris harris striker
Council to run greyhound racing at Central Park and he, in turn, allowed Sittingbourne to sign a seven-year lease for the use of the facilities. One standout moment of the 1997/98 season came when Arsenal joined Millwall in sending a side down to help out the financial position of the club. Millwall ran out 7-0 winners and Arsenal beat the Brickies 5-2 on 2nd August 1997. The Arsenal team was managed by George Graham, with Arsene Wenger watching and signing autographs in the main stand. Arsenal’s team included six players who had played in a European game against Strasbourg just a week before plus Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn. Adams wrote briefly about the game in his autobiography whilst Nicholas Anelka, who had just joined Arsenal, scored in the game. Media had paid a part in the success of the football club and none more at this time than Tony Rickson as editor of the now defunct East Kent Gazette. But there was also a new kid on the block in 1996 as the first Sittingbourne FC website was launched. Midway through the 1998/99 season Barry Bright felt that he had taken the club as far as he could and handed over the chairmanship to Andy Spice.
The 2002/03 season saw the management committee make the decision to move out of the main Central Park Stadium. Televised greyhound racing made it impossible to guarantee that the club could continue to use the stadium on a Saturday afternoon. The club signed a 10-year lease with Caernsport for the use of the training pitches and feverish activity during the summer of 2002 by an army of volunteers led to a new ground being developed for the new season.
The ground was given the name “Bourne Park” and a temporary stand shipped in from Mount Ephraim Gardens which was used throughout that season.
Ex-Leeds United goalkeeper Mark Beeney took over in 2001, before the reins then passed once again to Steve Lovell who returned for his third spell at the club in April 2005.
The 2005/06 season was destined to be the last one Sittingbourne played in the Southern League because of the FA reorganising the
Bagasan g raham
Defen D er
leagues on a more geographical basis, so the club faced a new challenge playing in the Ryman’s Isthmian league for season 2006/07. In November 2007, Sittingbourne appointed a new manager in Gary Abbott. The team struggled somewhat after the playing budget was slashed midway through the 2010/11 season and Gary was replaced by Richard Brady in 2011/12. Season 2011/12 also witnessed the birth of the Sittingbourne FC football academy, a joint venture with the Sittingbourne Community College. Richard Brady and Jamie Coyle left in October 2011 and ex-Brickie Joe Dowley took over the reins. Jim and Danny Ward joined at the beginning of season 2012/13 and immediately the fortunes of the club improved, finishing a very respectable ninth. Jim and Danny Ward departed from the club during September 2013, with Matt Wyatt and captain Nick Davis taking over.
Season 2012/13 marked a milestone with the club gaining a new chairman in Maurice Dunk and also moving home to Woodstock Park. The club and supporters owe Andy and Tania Spice an enormous thank you for keeping Sittingbourne FC afloat after the
disastrous mismanagement of the previous regime that led to the club being on the brink of extinction in the early 1990s.
In July 2014 Nick Davis resigned as joint manager and Matt Wyatt then resigned himself in October 2014. His replacement was his previous joint manager Nick Davis, who then resigned again in 2018. After initially taking The Brickies to the play-off places, new manager Aslan Odev failed to maintain this and after a number of losses it was mutually agreed that he would stand aside, paving the way for Chris Lynch to take over. There was decent start to the 2019/20 season but as results proved disappointing towards the end of the season Lynch resigned, to be replaced by his assistant Darren Blackburn. However, before Darren had a chance to take the helm the Corona Virus shutdown occurred with the result that the league
results were expunged for that season. The club finished halfway up the table in season 2021/22 after flirting with a play-off place and the directors decided that a new face was needed to lead the first team and Nick Davis made a return as the manager after an eight years absence. Nick made a good start, but season 202223 after starting well, went downhill until at the end of 2022 and after a run of 12 games without a win, saw the Brickies plummet down the league table and Nick Davis resigned and the club appointed Ryan Maxwell as manager. Ryan steadied the ship and at the mid season point of season 2023-24 the Brickies are in a play off position and are currently played disciplined and organised football making The Roman Stadium our very own castrum.
Photo’s courtesy of ian scammell.
▶ Our 1 st team currently c O mpete in the i sthmian l eague sO uth e ast d ivisi
O n.
ryan maxwell manager
n eil may coach
jOnathan hales coach
dO ug e mmett coach
A Vision for a highly substainable mixed-use community in Sittingbourne
An infrastructure led development that uses land value capture to deliver privately funded public infrastructure, creating the impetus to unlock generation defi ning regeneration in Sittingbourne and Sheppeytwo of the most deprived areas of Kent.
Find out more about Highsted Park www.highstedpark.co.uk
We’re proud to say we offer the UK’s most affordable prices for premium skipping ropes. Our ropes are on average up to 50% less expensive than our competitors. On top of that, they come with a lifetime guarantee. So why pay more?
Did you know that the Brickies Lottery draw takes place each week with 3 lucky players pocketing £50? Prices start from £4.50 per month.
To enable us to continue our progress and achieve our objectives we are always looking for financial support from local, national and international companies who wish to align and affiliate themselves to our ‘Football For All’ ethos and ambition.
We have many sponsorship opportunities available which give you exposure, helping to promote and grow your business.
We offer stadium sponsorship, player
sponsorship, shirt sponsorship and matchday sponsorship, as well as many other packages.
Like almost all non-league clubs, we rely on volunteers to keep the club running. We are lucky enough to have a fantastic team of volunteers fulfilling a number of crucial roles, but we are always on the lookout for more people to help so if it is something that you’re interested in, then please do get in touch.
elite sp O n s O rs
▶
22|23 sp O n s O rs
p latinum £2000* + vat
▶ 1 x Board in Premium Position
▶ Full Colour Page in Programme
▶ 1x Sponsor a Player
▶ 1 x Match Day Sponsorship
▶ 2 x Season Tickets
▶ Use of Boardoom
s ilver £500 + vat
▶ 1 x Board in Premium Position
▶ 1 x Half Colour Page in Programme
▶ 1 x Season Ticket
*DePenDent on oPtions
▶
▶
▶
main stand £5000k + vat
▶ 4.8 metre x 1.0 metre advertising board
▶ 2 x Complimentary season tickets for all Sittingbourne FC home fixtures
side stans £3,000 + vat
