RELIGHTING THE WICK

Southwick might not have the bling and bright lights of Brighton but the small town to the west of the city has a much more illustrious past - from prehistory to the Romans, Tudor to the Victorians, giving the place its unique character. It is also home to punk-poet Attila the Stockbroker - and Southwick FC.

The football club currently play in the Southern Combination Division One. One below the Southern Combination Premier and ten leagues below the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion. They have a bar open seven days a week but their ground has seen better days with crowds averaging around 50.

With the FA taking the decision early on to void Steps 3 to 7 (a season that had already been battered by bad weather and postponements) Southwick have kept busy on social media delving into their past exploits. Behind this twitter frenzy is Dan Gander whose dad has been supporting Southwick since the 1960s, and club secretary Clive Harman who made over 200 appearances in senior football including playing for Southwick. Both Dan and Clives first taste of live football was watching the Wickers, so it's fair to say the club is in their blood.

There's been lots of posts about the heyday of Southwick - cup finals, big crowds, away to Bournemouth. How did that come about?

"We have had great feedback regarding the twitter posts; people from all over the world whether its an old supporter whose moved away or past and present players. It's very easy to forget history but if we can bring back memories for people and put a smile on their faces then that's great. A lot of people don't realise how big Southwick Football Club was. FA Cup days, league titles, cup winners. When a professional was released from Brighton, Southwick was the team they wanted to play for. Growing up it was a big part of a lot of peoples lives, but over the years it's lost that appeal. The world has changed, there is a lot more things for adults and children to do. But we would love to bring those days back to Old Barn Way."

There's so many teams within touching distance of each other, how hard is it to compete for players, sponsorship and support?

"It's very difficult as you have the likes of Shoreham, Mile Oak and Lancing all within a few miles of each other. A lot of clubs I know have built a good relationship with sponsors over the years which helps massively. When it comes to looking for new sponsorships it often comes down to who you know; you might have a player who owns a trade/shop/business or a family friend who has the same.

Brighton playing at the Amex has had a big affect on Sussex County football. When Brighton are at home attendances around the non league circuit are down but when Brighton are away attendances are up. Players now also have season tickets at the Amex so player availability is sometimes hard.

On the playing side of it too, players like to be comfortable. You find in most County League sides the players have often grown up with each other through school or playing junior football over the years with each other. At Southwick we try our best to get players who look forward to turning up to training and being with each other. Who want to almost be like a family and work hard for each other on and off the pitch.”

If you could grant 3 wishes from the FA to help transform clubs like Southwick, what would they be?

"I think it would be to stablise and keep an eye on local grassroots football a lot more. The money in the professional game is enormous and if that could be filtered down it would massively help. You find a lot more football clubs are going into liquidation and administration (*two clubs folded in the Southern Combination this season) simply because they cannot afford to keep going. 

To have visits from the professional games representatives would also be a good idea, so that you know your not a forgotten grassroots team.

A lot of people’s times, effort and life’s goes into non league football and if they could be recognised and rewarded that is something that would also be appreciated.”

How do you think football will look after this pandemic  

"It will take a while for football to adapt and to carry on as normal, especially not knowing when it will restart or even if it will be this year. Financially, I think it could affect certain clubs very hard with upkeep, rent and maintenance side of things. Hopefully with the FA's help this can be cushioned a little bit. Going from what I read on social media, a lot of people are getting the preparation off their pitches started already, which I think is great and again goes back to taking your mind off things that are happening. We all know football is the least of people's worries right now but also there is nothing wrong with planning and looking forward. 
The price of professional football means lot of people have to miss out as they cannot afford it, so when the season starts we would love to be able to offer friendly, fun and enjoyment to everyone from all walks of life. To be that club people look forward to watching, coming too socialise with friends and family. It may take a few years to get where we want too be, but you can never say never and you have to dream big in any walk of life."  

You can follow Southwick on twitter, facebook or visit their website. 

TIME TO PAUSE

While the arguments continue over whether the football season should be paused or not, now is the perfect time to look at how the game is run. I could write a book on what's wrong with the Premier League but someones already done that, but it's no surprise that some of the richest clubs are showing their true colours.  

This no holds barred interview with a Premier League player says all you need to know. "It's absolutely disgusting the amount players get. It's ridiculous. We're just footballers, not brain surgeons. The fact that i'm paid more money than an actual brain surgeon is fucking stupid. And all the while millions live in poverty, getting cans of beans from a food bank. How can that be? I couldn't live with that, which is why I give it all away now. But the thing with this current situation is, it shouldn’t be left up to the lads to make individual donations. The non-playing staff wage bill isn’t that big. The club should fork out for that or the fucking owners should; they’re richer than any of us. The FA or Premier League or PFA or whoever should just say ‘no money for three months, we’re putting it all into an account to donate it to the NHS and other charities.’ Make it compulsory and across the board, including directors. So no-one has to make a choice. Because some will give all their money and some only a few quid. There are greedy, selfish bastards in football like in any walk of life and there are lovely lads who’d do anything they can to help."  

The outspoken Accrington Stanley Chairman Andy Holt has said many times that you have to be mad to take on a football league club and with the economic turmoil that is happening, just how many more lunatics will be left to come to footballs rescue? As he says 'Football is the only industry I have ever known where you're punished for being sensible.'  Football finance expert and author of 'Price of Football' Kieran Maguire said "I do think the football industry, which has been living on credit and living on owners subsidising clubs for many years, was in a very, very weak position if a relatively small shock hit the industry, but this is obviously far more than that. Football is not well placed to deal with this, it is a house of cards that we operate on and we all kind of accept that as well. For instance, operating looses in the Championship were round and about £600 million last season. Nobody is denying that the clubs are losing the money but it's always just accepted with a nod and a wink that somehow they'll muddle through on a the basis that there's another match soon and they'll get some money from that." 

So it's not a pause we need but a total reboot.  

For starters, I don't buy this argument that there are too many clubs. Each city, town, village, even housing estate is unique. People want to belong and their local football club is perfectly placed to bring people together.

So here's a few suggestions.

The English Football League have got to see sense over artificial pitches. They are going to become even more of a lifeline when football restarts. Refusing to promote clubs from the National League and worse threatening to relegate them if they don't rip them up if they get promoted, is insane. Slough's is in constant use, which as much as anything shows people that there is a club in town. 

Relax ground grading regulations A club getting an average gate of 80 doesn't need a 200 seater stand or a turnstile block. Instead help them invest in artificial pitches and community facilities. 

Put a cap on clubs spending to stop the Salford City's of this world buying promotion. Barnet lost £399,000 in 2018/19, Orient £2.7 million despite getting promoted. Notts County £2.8 million taking total losses over the last few years to a staggering £23 million! Bristol Rovers have debts of £24 million despite two recent promotions. And that's before the coronavirsus pandemic. Since then Yeovil have asked staff and players to take a 50% wage cut, Maidstone are talking about going part-time again and Barnet have sacked 60 staff.

Do we need a National League? Should part time players have to make Tuesday night trips from one end of the country to another? Slough have gradually added to our squad each season, with stability the key and the majority of our players on 100 plus games. When we go back to normal, how many companies are going to be flexible about players taking time off for a midweek trip to Hartlepool? How many self employed players who have taken a financial hit are going to be able to turn work down for a football match?

Advertising. Business is taking a battering - how many will have the spare cash for advertising and sponsorship? Already West Hams sleeve sponsor have gone into administration, how many others will go that way. If a company does survive, will supporting their local football club be top of their agenda? 

Programmes. Will they survive if advertisers desert them? I like a piece of paper in my hand but this virus has massively accelerated peoples use of tech and I can see many more programmes only being available on line. 

Thanks to our fantastic former chairman Steve 'Sensible' Easterbrook and a couple of decent FA Cup runs, Slough are in a sound financial position, even if we are not flushed with cash and have no big backers. If we got promoted we would no doubt be the poorest club in the National League. We can play on this backs-against-the-wall mentality but it's not exactly fair to have our legs tied together as well. I don't want a suicide mission. I want a level playing field based on sporting prowess because isn't that what all sport should be about?

When football does restart I expect, just like after the end of the Second World War, for people to flock back to football. But with finances tight we need to look at admission prices. We've already been dishing out free tickets to attract new people but I reckon the minimum we do is kids get in free with an adult. We need to be clever and show what we have been doing before the crisis, that Slough Town is a proper community club and not just about ninety minutes on the pitch.

And whenever we do restart, let's get off to a bang with the Vase and Trophy semi finals being made one leg at a big neutral venue that thousands can attend. Beats all those meaningless friendlies anyday, although suddenly Slough playing any sort of friendly, becomes a very enticing prospect. 

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

Published in the National League South game v Hungerford Town Saturday 7th March 2020. We lost 2-0 in front of 885 in what could be the last home game of the season.

The world just got a lot quieter with the passing of DJ and musical genius Andrew Weatherall. The charismatic Windsor boy and Terry Farley a football supporting, gas fitting, soul boy from Slough, were part of a group of people that sparked a musical revolution in the early 90's. And who would have bet on Slough and the surrounding towns being at the revolutions epicentre with Berkshire going Baleriac. And it wasn't just the full-on raves at the Slough Community Centre, free parties in fields and warehouses; there were bands playing gigs in every pub and club and independent fanzines popping up all over the place.

Andy Weatherall was known affectionately as the Governor, a DJ who also had his own music and remixed others, working with everyone from New Order, Happy Mondays, Saint Etienne and Manic Stree Preachers. He's probably best known for his remix of Primal Screams 'Loaded' which became an instant dance floor classic. 

It was also a time of spiraling football violence and Slough had its own gangs that spoilt every party you went too and often came looking for trouble whenever the Rebels had big games. But with the partying came a new drug Ectasy and I remember walking in the Orchard Centre open mouthed as some of the very same people who wanted to take on the world were dancing to this new music and massaging each other blissed out! To quote Primal Screams Bobby Gillespie 'From time to time, there's a crack in the sky and light gets through it; a lot of great people come along and make people feel good and connect people." Weatherall was one of those people.

In Slough Town terms that crack was opened with a crowbar by our former chairman Steve Easterbrook. Steve finally brought the Rebels back home, so desperately needed for the club to survive and prosper. That crack has recently appeared again as people try and take the club to the next level. 

As a pub campaigner, I hear every every excuse in the book from developers and councils who often site changing demographics as to why a pub has to shut. Imagine applying that nuclear option to football clubs? Your team are bottom of the league, getting tonked every week. Do you call time, shut the club down and turn the ground into luxury flats? Slough Town would be long gone under that option.

Or do you change the way its run, which is exactly what the Three Tuns on the Bath Road has done and is now rammed to the rafters. A few of us Rebels popped in after the Chelmsford away game to sample the best pub menu I have ever seen. Our community engagement officer Mark says he has already seen a much more welcoming attitude when he walks into pubs with matchday posters. Here he was weaving his magic round the tables, with people wanting to talk about our football club and happy to take those complimentary tickets and come and see what all the fuss is about. An Asian football loving pub, supporting a club that needs to move with the demographic times - the perfect match. 

So is this our epiphany? Our away support is continually growing, constantly singing and good humored. A Dorking fan tweeted 'Slough have some of the best visiting fans. Good songs (Beatles and Slade tunes!) nothing derogatory and genuine support.' At Havant a group of Waterlooville youngsters changed ends with us and joined in with the Slough songs because they said we were more of a laugh. 

But its more than just 90 minutes on the pitch and our community work has a constantly growing reach. Long term supporter Damian told me 'After the loss of my son in January the thought of being in a crowd watching something as trivial a sport seemed impossible. But as the days passed my family and I were overwhelmed by the numerous messages of condolence and support from Slough Town FC. Not just my friends but players, staff, officials and supporters I had never met. This really is a special club and I'm now looking forward to taking my place on the terraces with my Rebel family.' 

The crack in the sky is gaping open and is shining an amber and blue light on our little old club. Let's grab this Rebel Revolution with open arms and just like Weatherall did, send a cultural tidal wave across the borough of Slough and beyond!  

* This doesn't happen without blood, sweat (and during away games) beers. If you can help the club in anyway, drop Mark a line or chat to him on matchdays.