Support for Ardingly Football Club as it marks 125 years of village sport

Ardingly Football Club is celebrating after Southern Sheeting signed up as a main club sponsor, ensuring the self-funded group can continue to thrive as it commemorates its 125th anniversary.

The club presented the East Grinstead business with a framed shirt, sporting its logo, as a thank you for its support. 

Southern Sheeting, a specialist supplier of building materials to trade and domestic customers based in East Grinstead, donated £1,000, which will help the club to reset the goalposts and buy new kit for the first team. 

Tony Hobbs, Managing Director, Southern Sheeting, said: “We are passionate about supporting grass roots football clubs and young people whenever we can. We regularly supply building materials to major football clubs such as Salford FC so, this is a cause which is very close to our hearts.

“As a business we like to do what we can to help our local community, so lending a hand at Ardingly Football Club during this historic year will bring our whole team a lot of joy.” 

Ardingly Football Club was founded in 1896 in Hapstead Hall by Mr Holman, Mr Munnion and Mr Hett. In the early 1900s, more than 2,000 spectators would turn out to watch the club play on the village’s recreation ground.

Richard Watson, Ardingly Football Club Chairman, said: “We’re so pleased to welcome Southern Sheeting as our main club sponsor as we celebrate our 125th year. Our club is older than Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace so it’s wonderful to have this support from local business Southern Sheeting to ensure that this piece of football history continues: 

“Our club is entirely self-funded. Without donations we wouldn’t be able to buy new kits or carry out any essential maintenance which enables us to provide grassroots football in the village.

“For a club of our size, it’s always challenging to attract sponsorship, but it has been particularly challenging during the pandemic. Providing this important community activity has been a real boost for our players when they were allowed to play football together again after the recent lockdowns.”

This latest donation by Southern Sheeting to Ardingly Football Club is part of the business’ ongoing programme of support for its local community in Sussex.

For more information, please visit www.southernsheeting.co.uk.