Worthing Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in the West Tarring area of Worthing, West Sussex, England. They are currently members of the National League South and play at Woodside Road.
History
The club was established in 1886 as Worthing Association Football Club.[2] After playing friendlies, their first competitive game was a Sussex Senior Challenge Cup match on 27 November 1886 in which they defeated Brighton Hornets 1–0 at home.[2] In 1892–93 they won the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, beating Eastbourne 2–1 in the final.[2] The club were founder members of the West Sussex League in 1896, and won the league in 1898–99.[2] In the 1899–2000 season the club dropped "Association" from their name,[2] and in May 1900 absorbed Worthing Athletic.[2] The club were West Sussex League champions and Sussex Senior Challenge Cup winners again in 1903–04,[3][4] also going onto win the Sussex RUR Cup, a competition played between the winners of the West Sussex League and East Sussex League, beating Hastings & St Leonards 3–2 in the final.[5] Although they left the league at the end of the season due to Worthing Rovers joining, they rejoined a year later after absorbing Rovers.[2] The club won back-to-back West Sussex League titles and RUR cups in 1906–07 and 1907–08 (also winning the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup in the latter season), and did the double again in 1909–10. They won the league title in 1912–13, and both the league and RUR Cup in 1913–14.[5]
In 1948 Worthing joined the Corinthian League. The higher level proved more challenging than the county league and they finished bottom of the Corinthian League in 1956–57, 1957–58 and 1958–59. When the league folded in 1963, Worthing and most other clubs joined Division One of the Athenian League. They were runners-up in their first season in the division, earning promotion to the Premier Division, as well as winning the AFA Invitation Cup with a 3–1 win over Harwich & Parkeston.[7] They remained in the Premier Division until relegation at the end of the 1966–67 season, and went on to be relegated from Division One to Division Two the season after.[6] In 1971–72 the club were Division Two runners-up, earning promotion back to Division One.[6]
Worthing transferred to Division Two of the Isthmian League in 1977. They were Division Two champions in 1981–82, resulting in promotion to Division One. The following season the club reached the FA Cup first round again, beating Dartford 2–1 before losing 4–0 at Oxford United in the second round.[6] The league season ended with the club winning the Division One title, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They went on to finish as runners-up in the Premier Division in both 1983–84 and 1984–85. However, the club were relegated back to Division One at the end of the 1986–87 season, and then to Division Two after finishing bottom of Division One in 1991–92. They were Division Two champions in 1992–93 and were promoted back to Division One. In 1994–95, another FA Cup first round appearance ended with a 3–1 defeat at AFC Bournemouth. They went on to finish the season as runners-up in Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division, but were relegated back to Division One after finishing bottom of the Premier Division the following season.[6]
In 1999–2000 Worthing reached the FA Cup first round again, losing 3–0 at Rotherham United.[6] League reorganisation saw them placed in Division One South in 2002. They were runners-up in the division in 2003–04 and were promoted to the Premier Division. However, after finishing third-from-bottom of the Premier Division in 2006–07 the club were relegated back to Division One South. A fifth-place finish in 2007–08 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs, in which they were defeated 2–0 by Tooting & Mitcham United in the semi-finals. Another fifth-place finish the following season was followed by a 1–0 play-off semi-final defeat to Cray Wanderers. The club finished third in Division One South in 2009–10, but again failed to advance past the play-off semi-finals, losing 2–1 to Godalming Town.[6]
In 2015–16 Worthing finished third in Division One South again. After beating Hythe Town 7–0 in the play-off semi-finals, they secured promotion to the Premier Division with a 3–0 win over Faversham Town in the final.[6] The club were top of the Premier Division table when the COVID-19 pandemic halted both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, but they went on to become Premier Division champions in 2021–22, earning promotion to the National League South.[6] In their first season in the National League the club finished fourth in the division, qualifying for the play-offs. After beating Braintree Town 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 2–0 to Oxford City in the semi-finals. The season also saw them win the Sussex Senior Cup again, beating Bognor Regis Town 8–7 on penalties after a 0–0 draw. At the start of the 2023–24 season the club won the Sussex Community Shield, defeating Broadbridge Heath 5–4 on penalties after the match ended 3–3. In 2023–24 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the fifth time, losing 2–0 at Alfreton Town.
In March 2024 Worthing were live on television for the first time in their history when they played Bath City live on TNT Sports in a 2-2 draw at Woodside Road.
Nicknames
The club's nickname of "the Rebels" dates from when it resigned from the West Sussex League on a point of principle over a rule change. Worthing are also known as "The Mackerel Men", a reference to the three fish prominent on the club crest.
Ground
Woodside Road, 2018
The club initially played at People's Party (now Homefield Park), before moving to Beach House Park in 1889.[2] In 1901 they relocated to the Sports Ground, which later became known as Woodside Road.[2] A sports ground had been opened on the Woodside Road site as early as 1892,[8] when the site was part of the parish of West Tarring (which at the time was not yet part of the borough of Worthing). Then known as the Pavilion Road Sports Ground, it occupied a 13-acre site, with a Queen Anne-style pavilion giving its name to Pavilion Road along the south of the site.[8] The land was donated by a local benefactor, Mr Brazier.[9] A record attendance of 3,100 was set for an FA Amateur Cup quarter-final replay against Depot Battalion, RE in 1907–08.[2] A new record of 3,600 was set for an FA Cup fourth qualifying round match against Wimbledon in 1936.[7]
In 1937 the Sports Ground closed and the site's northern portion was developed into the existing Woodside Road ground. The southern portion of the Sports Ground became tennis courts and then in 1948 became home to Worthing Pavilion Bowls Club.[8] Floodlights were installed in 1977.[8] At the end of 1984–85 Woodside Road's main stand, which had been in place since the 1920s, burnt down.[9][10] A replacement was opened in 1986.[9] After being taken over by former player George Dowell in 2015, an artificial pitch was installed.[11]
