Lewes: Fans Of Change: Future football at the Dripping Pan

Words: Steve Sharman

Images: Sasha Hartman

Down near the South coast, nestled between Brighton and Eastbourne, lies a pretty Sussex town where they like to do things a little differently.

Home to Sussex’s oldest independent brewery and England’s biggest and historically most outright riotous bonfire night festivities, Lewes is a town with a rich history - and also host to a football club with eyes very much on the future.

Behind the scenes, football can be a vehicle for social change. Lewes FC are very much a club that champions equality and inclusion, values that are emphasised in the model of community ownership.

Having experienced the harsh realities of diminishing private investment, in 2010 the club was formally transferred into a community benefit society - Lewes Community Football Club.

From humble beginnings, The Rooks can now count over 2500 owners in 40 countries. At Lewes - who have adopted the mantra of Equality FC and are led by Chief Operating Officer Kelly Lindsey - equality extends far beyond the boardroom; in 2017, Lewes became the first football club anywhere in the world to treat men and women players the same - same pitch, same training facilities, and perhaps most significantly, same budget.

The women’s team currently plays in Women’s National League South - the third tier of English football - and are only two promotions away from rubbing shoulders with the elite, whereas the men’s team are currently fighting for promotion from the Isthmian Premier League, three promotions away from the football league.

©Sasha Hartman. Lewes FC vs Bognor Regis Town.

Lewes are also the driving force behind the #EqualFACup movement. In a competition where 77% of prize money is allocated to the men’s game, the campaign seeks to level the playing field and address this imbalance - improving the distribution of resources both between and within the men’s and women’s games.

Off-field issues also take centre stage at The Dripping Pan. The ground is geared towards sustainability, from solar panels that adorn the roof of the South Stand and a community garden overlooking the southeast corner of the ground, to vegan menus, and upcycled merchandise in the club shop. Lewes also supports CAGA - the campaign to kick gambling advertising out of football.

Winter has truly arrived and it’s already very dark when, on a rainy Tuesday late afternoon, we leave Victoria Station and cross the river Thames, to head further south. The lights glittering atop the ocean of suburban sprawl give way to the black of endless fields as we speed through the Sussex countryside to watch Lewes men take on Bognor Regis Town.

Lewes start the night just outside the playoffs and a win will take them up to 4th. Bognor Regis arrive rooted to the bottom of the table, however such is the congested nature of the lower reaches of the Isthmian Premier, three points would lift them up to 18th, and clear of the relegation zone.

By the time our train pulls into Lewes station, it’s stopped raining and we make the very short walk from the station to the ground under the light of the moon, arriving in plenty of time to negotiate the culinary chaos caused by two broken fryers and a debutante on the till in the kiosk.

The teams switch ends prior to kick off and before I’ve finished my sausage and chips and the migrating hordes have made their way to the opposite end, new-signing Gianluca Botti marks his home debut with a goal after just 34 seconds. Some way to mark your first home game!

Sadly for the home fans, who have finally settled behind the goal at the far end of the ground, a mix up between centre back and keeper lets Bognor striker Jasper Mather in to level the scores and the drums are banged loudest by those clad in green residing in the temporary away end.

After two goals in a frenetic opening 10 minutes, the game settles down. Despite the relaxed, progressive vibe offered by padded seats and unisex toilets, when taking a goal kick, the away keeper is still subject to the timeless classic, ‘you’re shit, aaaaaaaaaaah’.

Perhaps in football, some things will never change. Scores are still level at half-time and a wander around the ground allows us to explore the impressive array of scarves screwed to the back of the South Stand - everything from Real Madrid and AC Milan, to Tunbridge Wells and Wellington Phoenix.

The second half starts and Lewes gradually take control. It feels like a goal is coming and a number of Bognor Regis players suffer from cramp as they use every weapon in their armoury in the battle to stay on level terms.

With 15 minutes left, the away side are inches away from taking the lead, denied by a great save and then the foot of the post. Spurred on by the let-off, the home side press for a winner and are duly rewarded for their patience five minutes from the end, when midfielder Matty Warren smashes home a 25-yard screamer to break Bognor hearts.

Two further goals in injury time - a second for Botti and a great strike from skipper Danny Bassett put the gloss on the scoreline, and it’s Lewes that run out 4-1 winners.

Lewes is a club that is leading the field, in many ways. The impact of a football club completely removing the gender pay gap, and treating men’s and women’s players as equals, cannot be overstated.

Watching a game here does feel different; relaxed, friendly, but underpinned with a steely confidence and determination to do things the right way - on and off the pitch.

There is a sense of a club that has everyone pulling in the same direction; the quote emblazoned across the front of the elevated media hut seems entirely fitting: “equality is a rising tide that lifts all boats.”

Nowhere does that feel more salient than down at Lewes FC, where equality reigns supreme and where the seeds for a different footballing future are truly being sown.