Langney Sports Club
Encyclopedia
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
and is the home of Eastbourne Borough
Eastbourne Borough F.C.
Eastbourne Borough are a semi-professional English football club, based in the town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, and are members of the Conference South. They are known as The Sports after their previous name as Langney Sports. Eastbourne Borough play their home matches at Priory Lane in Langney...
, who play in the Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
League. Eastbourne Borough
Eastbourne Borough F.C.
Eastbourne Borough are a semi-professional English football club, based in the town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, and are members of the Conference South. They are known as The Sports after their previous name as Langney Sports. Eastbourne Borough play their home matches at Priory Lane in Langney...
have used this stadium since moving from the playing fields at Princes Park
Princes Park, Eastbourne
Princes Park in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, is a park east of Eastbourne Town Centre and the Victorian seafront.The park consists of a 18 hole putting green, a bowling green, a boating lake and 2 small children's play areas, one of which has a paddling pool...
in 1983.
History
Building commenced in 1983 when the club was playing as Langney Sports, who joined the Sussex County Football LeagueSussex County Football League
The Sussex County Football League is a football league broadly covering the counties of East Sussex, West Sussex and southeastern Surrey, England.Formed in 1920, the league now has six divisions - three for first teams and three for reserve sides...
, leased a playing field and built a garage to store equipment in. Over the years the ground has seen a lot of development. Involving piping a tunnel and installing their own pumping station for drainage. The Peter Fountain stand was first to be built in 1989, named after the man who supplied the labour. Which was later extended in the early 1990s as Langney Sports were working their way up in the Sussex County League.
There was also a hump where spectators had excellent views of the pitch before the Mick Green stand was built in 1995 ready for the 1995-96 season and is in memory of the club captain who was killed in a building accident in 1994. The Mick Green stand holds the players dressing rooms and a tea bar on the ground level and hospitality suites upstairs.
Part of the stadium complex includes the Langney Sports Club, which is open to non members on selected match days, an indoor bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
centre, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts.
In 2007 the local council nearly made Eastbourne Borough
Eastbourne Borough F.C.
Eastbourne Borough are a semi-professional English football club, based in the town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, and are members of the Conference South. They are known as The Sports after their previous name as Langney Sports. Eastbourne Borough play their home matches at Priory Lane in Langney...
lose its stadium after attempting to increase the rent from £3,000 to £17,000. The supporters club stepping in a collected over 1,000 signatures in a petition..
In June 2009, the FA decided that Priory Lane stadium is a Grade A Stadium but advised that the capacity to be reduced to 4,134. The criteria for a Grade A stadium is to have a capacity of 4,000 with at least 500 seats although to be expanded to 5,000 spectators with 1,000 seats by the end of their first season in League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
.
The record attendance is 3,770 against Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
in the FA Challenge Cup 1st Round on the 5 September 2005.
The first live televised game was on 12 October 2008 in a league game against Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Borough F.C.
Stevenage Football Club is an English football club based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The club currently participate in League One, the third tier of English football, having won promotion from League Two in the 2010–11 season...
.
Stands
- Main Stand has a seating area for 542 spectators, there is a Directors' Suite and Main Sponsor's Executive Suite. Also an Announcer's Box and Press area is also situated in this stand. There is also a family area and disabled access to this stand.
- The Mick Green Stand houses the dressing rooms, a tea bar (with seating inside), and provides covered terracing at the Priory Road end of the ground. The upper floor has four Executive Suites, in addition to the exclusive ‘Legends Lounge', with windows fronting on to the pitch.
- Peter Fountain Stand is a covered terrace and houses a tea bar. This is where the home fans (known as Garry Wilsons Army) chant from.
- River End Stand is a covered terrace but has no amenities. This is where away fans are designated on segregation match days.
There is a car park for 400 vehicles, mainly behind the River End stand with a small car park in front of the clubhouse.
Segregation
Borough never segregated League games before their promotion to the Conference. However in the 2008/09 season after a home game against Mansfield TownMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, some games with bigger clubs have been segregated, with the away fans using the River End stand.
Other uses
In 2006 the stadium was chosen by the Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
to stage all three of England’s fixtures in the Non League Home Nations Tournament. The final of the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup
Sussex Senior Challenge Cup
The Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, or simply Sussex Senior Cup, is the county senior cup of the Sussex FA. The first winners of the cup were Brighton Rangers, who won the cup in 1883...
was staged here between 2000-2010.
Transport
The ground is located over a mile away from Pevensey & Westham railway stationPevensey & Westham railway station
Pevensey & Westham railway station serves the villages of Pevensey and Westham in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern...
, which lies on the East Coastway Line
East Coastway Line
East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line...
between Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
and Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, and Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
which is over 2 miles away. Both are served by Southern Railway
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
.
Parking at the stadium is limited also the residential streets near the stadium also have limited parking, there is a bus service served from Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
town centre.
Attendance
Average attendance since the 2001-2002 season:2001-2002 - 382
2002-2003 - 534
2003-2004 - 597
2004-2005 - 719
2005-2006 - 603
2006-2007 - 683
2007-2008 - 872
2008-2009 - 1344
2009-2010 - 1206
2010-2011 - 1105