Welcome

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Colston Avenue for this Isthmian Premier fixture. I would especially like to welcome the officials, players, and fans of Lewes FC

Please can I remind you:

• We serve a selection of draft beers and real ale in our clubhouse.
• We serve a wide range of food from our matchday kitchens from midday.

I would like to wish both teams the best of luck in this important fixture.

Paul Dipre – Chairman

Match Officials

Team Officials

	Carshalton Athletic FC Peter Adeniyi
	Lewes FC Craig Nelson

Recent Clashes

30/01/2024		1-3
23/10/2023		1-1
23/01/2023		2-1

History

Carshalton Athletic FC 1906

Lewes FC

The early years
Lewes Football Club was formed following a meeting of Lewes Priory Cricket Club at The Royal Oak pub on 23 September 1885. Many football clubs were being formed in that decade, predominantly either by factories or by cricket clubs wanting something to do over autumn and winter. Of course they chose to play home matches at The Dripping Pan (just a few hundred yards from the pub) because that was already where they played cricket, since their inception in 1831. Indeed, the second earliest recorded match anywhere in the world took place in Lewes in 1694. However, playing football isn’t great for a cricket wicket and the cricket club finally upped sticks in 1937 to a new ground just down the road.

For the first eight years, Lewes FC players wore light green shirts which were designed to reflect the scenery of the surrounding South Downs, but black and red finally became the club colours in 1893.

The club has played at the Dripping Pan ever since, apart from a couple of seasons prior to the First World War when the club was banished to the adjoining Convent Field. The early years of the club produced only mediocre results and successes were few and far between. In 1920, Lewes became founder members of the Sussex County League.

Our women’s team was not founded until the 2002/3 season, but more of that later…

1960s
Progress was slow and despite four runners-up places, by the 1960s Lewes had only one Sussex RUR Cup win to their name. In 1965, the club’s fortunes changed dramatically, winning the County League title for the first time with a massive nine-point lead over runners-up Lancing, as well as both the RUR and Sussex Senior Cups.

Lewes became members of the Athenian League and after winning the Division 2 title in 1968, promotion to the Premier Division was gained just two years later when the Division 1 title was snatched from Boreham Wood, with a further Sussex Senior Cup triumph added in 1971. Six years later, the club entered the newly expanded Isthmian League.

1980s
Promotion to Division 1 soon followed although two sixth-place finishes in 1982 and 1989 were the highest positions attained in Division 1. During that time, Lewes reached the final of the Sussex Senior Cup on three occasions, and won the trophy in 1984/85.

1990s
Let’s be honest, the nineties weren’t great for music or the Rooks. Disaster struck in 1990/91 when Lewes were relegated for the first time in their history. An immediate return as runners-up to Purfleet followed, but that success was short-lived and relegation in successive years meant that by the 1994/95 season the club was down in Division Three.

The slide continued and the first season in the basement division would have been the last in the league if it hadn’t been for Cove who conveniently propped-up the league and saved Lewes from automatic demotion.

The club survived rather than thrived until the 1998/99 season when Jimmy Quinn joined as manager, and at the first attempt missed out on promotion by just one place. Midway through the 1999/2000 season Martin Elliott and a new board of Directors stepped in and immediately the fortunes of the club began to improve, with the capture of the Sussex Senior Cup in 2001 following victory over Bognor Regis.

Noughties (2000s)
There was mixed news on the pitch. The pinnacle of the Men’s team’s achievement, and what a pinnacle, was to gain promotion to the top of the non-League pyramid in 2007/8. However, the Rooks only lasted one season in the top flight as the Global Credit Crisis hit and funds dried up. The Rooks’ new economic reality saw them drop down the divisions.

However, a brand new Women’s team was started by Jacquie Agnew for the 2002/3 season with the support of then club Chairman Terry Parris. The team underwent a dramatic rise form park football to the Women’s Combination, thanks to added support from local businessman Ron Moore.

2010s
Behind the scenes, a group of six supporters calling themselves Rooks125 were working hard to take the club into community ownership having witnessed the serious financial problems that had befallen the club, despite the owners’ best efforts.

(Rooks125, from left in image: Alex Leith, Patrick Marber, Nick Williams, Ben Ward, Ed Ramsden, Charlie Dobres).

Finally on July 8th 2010, Lewes FC was officially transferred out of private ownership into a mass-ownership Community Benefit Society called Lewes Community Football Club, consisting of benefactors and members of the former Management Committee.

The six members of Rooks125 formed the inaugural Executive Board, working as volunteers to install improved working practices and procedures during the season before planning to open up the wider ownership of LCFC to all the club’s supporters in 2011/12. The first chairman of the Community Club was appointed in 2013 with club legend Terry Parris taking up the position once again. Terry was succeeded by Stuart Fuller in 2015. All Board positions now are elected by the whole Ownership base.

On the pitch, restricted resources saw the men’s team drop two Leagues, down to the Ryman League South (now called the Isthmian League) before promotion saw them rise to the Isthmian Premier League where they are currently pushing for another promotion, back to the National League South.

However, the Women’s team enjoyed a meteoric climb up to the FA Women’s Premier League (South), gaining promotion from the Combination League by winning every match but one, which they drew.

In 2018, the FA decided to reconstitute the top two women’s elite Leagues and, following an exhaustive process, Lewes FC were selected to join the new League for the 2018-19 season. Since then, the team have become well established amongst many Premier League backed sides. Their highest finish to date was 5th.
We’ve been busy building foundations for an exciting future.

In July 2015, the club opened a state-of-the-art 3G all-weather facility adjacent to The Dripping Pan, for the whole community to use as well as all Lewes FC teams to train on.

And of course, in 2017, we launched the ground-breaking EqualityFC campaign that saw Lewes FC become the first club side in the world to have equal playing budgets for women and men.

In 2022, thanks to a Premier League grant of £750k to support women’s football, the Dripping Pan pitch was finally relaid, transformed into a state of the art grass-hybrid plying surface with built in sprinklers.

CAFC People

Chairman: Paul Dipre
Directors: Clare Dipre, Paul Williams, Kelly Riddel, Vicky Mannooch

Club Secretary: Bonnie Hare
General Manager: David Geddes
Match Day Tannoy: John Kistner
Admissions: Andy Rickman
Matchday Sec: Christian Kemble
Safety Officer: Clare Dipre
Programme: Christian Kemble
Media: Christian Kemble

Club Vice Presidents:
Phillip Payne, Steve Friend, Alan Walker, Kay Maynard, John Kistner, David Reilly, Martin Reilly, Peter Clews, Alec Griffin, Gary Smith, Alan Clarke, Peter Lebihan, Peter Robins, Marc Haskins, John Hillarby, Graham Skipp, Matt Hillarby

Matchday:
1st Team Manager: Peter Adeniyi
Coaches: Charlie Acres
Physio: Dave Feasey
Kit Manager: David Geddes
Matchday Safeguarding Officer: Andy Rickman

The Club is owned by Paul Dipre & Family by way of controlling interest

CAFC Snapshot

Surrey County FA
London FA
Pitching-In Isthmian League Premier Division
Isthmian Development League
The National League U19 Alliance
Isthmian Youth League
Surrey Youth League
Surrey County Women’s & Girl’s League
Epsom and Ewell League
Registration Number: 05316320

Contact details
War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue.
Carshalton. Surrey SM5 2PW
Tel: 020 8642 2551
Email: enquiries@carshaltonathletic.com
Web: www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk
TV: www.robins.tv
Twitter: @CarshaltonA_FC
Instagram: (Link to your Instagram profile)

The Robins Choir

Ground Rules

Colston Avenue Ground Rules

Carshalton Athletic is a FA Charter Standard Community Club.
We do our best to make every matchday or event as safe and enjoyable as we can for players, fans, customers and officials. We also respect the amenity of our neighbours.

To those ends we have ground rules that we respectfully ask visitors to the ground to abide by.

Approaching and leaving the ground and stadium

Please respect the amenity of neighbours surrounding the ground when arriving and leaving the ground. If driving please drive very slowly and carefully in the access road approaching the ground and in the car parks inside the ground. Please avoid making unnecessary noise in the surrounding roads on your journey to the ground, please save it all up in support of your team!

Dogs

Dogs are not permitted in the stadium, regardless of size and nature. (Except guide dogs)

No Drums or clappers

Our operating licence prohibits the use of drums, clappers or musical instruments, they cannot be brought into the ground

Flags and Banners

There are plenty of places to hang flags and banners around the ground, but pleased don’t hang them over the pitch-side barriers where they cover advertising hoardings.

Bring Photo ID

Please bring photo ID. You may need it for purchasing alcohol. Seniors, U18s and all season ticket holders will need to show it at the turnstiles, no exceptions.

Challenge 25

If you are lucky enough to look under the age of 25, then you will need to show a driving license, passport or an id card bearing the PASS hologram. Staff will lose their jobs if they don’t adhere to the challenge 25 guidelines.

Video Filming

Any filming within the ground that is intended for publishing online must seek written permission before filming – except for the official videographers of opposition clubs who may film at the ground for the period beginning 2 hours before kickoff and ending two hours after kickoff. Other private or third party videographers must seek the clubs written permission prior to filming within the ground if the footage it to be published online.

Commercial Photography

Any filming within the ground that is intended for publishing online must seek written permission before filming – except for the official videographers of opposition clubs who may film at the ground for the period beginning 2 hours before kickoff and ending two hours after kickoff. Other private or third party videographers must seek the clubs written permission prior to filming within the ground if the footage it to be published online.

No foul language please

As a community club, many fans and customers are families with young children. Please help us to provide an environment suitable for the whole family.

Hospitality

Football on TV

Partners with Sky Sports & TNT Sports.

Every evening, every matchday, all the big games are showing on our big screens

Two viewing rooms – both with 75 inch LED screens, Dolby sound and fully stocked bars.

Matchday food

Gourmet Steak Burgers

Our steak burgers are fresh and from local sustainable suppliers – Scotts the Butchers.
Our Burgers are fresh, never frozen. Made with English Steak and cooked to perfection.
Our Buns are fresh, never frozen. Soft and squidgy.
Our Onions and fresh, never frozen. Slow-cooked for 4 hours and caramelised

WE DONT RIP YOU OFF – 1/4 POUNDER IS UNDER A FIVER

Chips

You wont find tastier chips anywhere.

Pies

We serve a range of meat and vegetable pies

Matchday food

Bean to Cup Coffee

Our coffee is freshly ground and brewed. Choose a cappuccino, latte, americano or flat white

Fully stocked free-house Bar

Choose from our wide selection of real ales, craft beers and a vast range of liquors.

Respect statement

“The Isthmian Football League strongly supports the FA statement that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly any form of discriminatory abuse whether it by reason of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex and sexual orientation or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association.” (The FA 0800 085 0508 / Kick it Out 020 7253 0162). The Isthmian League and all Member Clubs in the League are committed to promoting equality by treating people fairly and with respect, by recognising that inequalities may exist, by taking steps to address them and providing access and opportunities for all members of the community.”

League sponsors