Homeless Horsham forced to fold under-18 team

After running for almost 20 years, the development team is due to be discontinued for the coming season.

The club has been without a permanent home since leaving Queen Street in 2008, and have ground shared at both Worthing’s Woodside Road and with Horsham YMCA at Gorings Mead since.

While the younger junior teams have confirmed pitches to play next season, the under-18 team has struggled to find an appropriate venue, due to the lack of a permanent home for the football club.

This comes almost 18 months after their application for a new ground at Hop Oast was turned down by Horsham District Council, despite the planning officer’s recommendation that the development should go ahead.

Horsham director Andy Thompson said: “It is a tragedy for the club and all those young talented players to lose our under-18s team.

“The team has provided a crucial part of the football club, providing new talent coming through the ranks and retaining key coaching staff and players.

“This is just one of the knock-on effects of the council’s decision to refuse permission for a new ground at Hop Oast which really puts the future of the club as a whole at risk.”

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