Lewes FC Vets: football with purpose

We’re more than just a football group—we’re a community built on well-being, connection, and quality football for players over 35.

What we’re about

• Football for well-being – We create a welcoming, regenerative football environment where relationships come first.

• Top-quality Vets football – We make the game accessible to as many over-35s as possible.

• Giving back – We raise over £25,000 per year in pitch fees, supporting Lewes Football Foundation, improving local facilities, and contributing to charity.

Football culture since 2016

Our sessions are built on compassion, inclusivity, and fairness, making football enjoyable and accessible for all.

• We run weekly football sessions every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:00/8:30 pm If you’re 35 or older, you’re welcome to join—space permitting!

• Beyond weekly sessions, members enjoy:

• 11-a-side matches in the Old Quality League

• Sussex Sunday League football

• Cultural and community activities

• Well-being and social initiatives

• Supporting Lewes FC from the stands

We’re powered by volunteers—over 25 members help keep things running smoothly. Whether it’s organising games, supporting events, or simply helping out, every small contribution makes a big difference.

Sound like you? Drop-In to try us out in the first instance.

MERCH: Lewes FC Vets shop

🛒 Shop now

For our veteran players and supporters, the Lewes FC Vets shop offers a range of team apparel, ensuring you can train and compete in high-quality kit. Browse our collection to find match shirts, training gear, and official club merchandise.

The Poem

Yes, we have a poem! A legendary part of Vets culture, read out before training and matches to set the tone and bring us together

It’s Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday night at the 3G

Now is a time for joy!

We are a community who love to play football!

Showing up matters and everybody is welcome here

I trust you to both give and receive the ball

We allow each other to make mistakes

We will encourage, not coach or criticise

Captains call all in-play decisions, but will not call offsides

Stay onside and fetch wayward balls immediately

We are careful in the tackle

Stay on your feet and please avoid needless fouls

We know we are getting old, not the people we used to be

We carry injuries

The spectre of sickness and death is upon us

Winning is not everything

So let’s run, work and play our best football

If you are old enough, you are good enough!

Photography: Training photo - Willie Robb / Team photos - Wayne Liddle

The Business Case for Inclusivity and Belonging in 3G FOOTBALL

One of the defining tensions within Lewes FC Vets has always been this:

The desire to play competitive, high-level football
And the need to create an inclusive environment where everyone can belong

Most clubs experience this tension.
Very few resolve it.

Lewes FC Vets resolves it in a very specific and deliberate way:

Inclusivity is not a compromise. It is the business model.

Why this matters financially

Lewes FC Vets operates in a completely different cost environment to traditional grassroots football.

Historically:

• Grass pitches were cheap or subsidised

• Teams could operate with minimal financial responsibility

• Participation could be selective without threatening viability

That is no longer true.

With 3G football:

• Pitch hire is charged annually, not ad hoc

• Costs are fixed, substantial, and unavoidable

• Maintenance, staffing, and sinking funds must be covered

At Lewes:

• Pitch hire represents roughly 45–55% of total operating costs

• The club commits to multiple weekly slots (Tues, Weds, Fri, Sun) on an annual basis

• These costs must be met regardless of attendance

Alongside this, the club also pays for:

• League affiliation, fines, and subscriptions

• Referees

• Equipment (balls, kit, gloves, cones)

• Coaching and physio support where applicable

• Platform costs (Spond, website, etc.)

• Social events (Pan Siro, tour, Christmas)

Fees may look high.
They are not.

They are set at the level required to sustain 3G football properly, including contributing to long-term pitch replacement.

The key reality

For this model to work:

We need people. Lots of them. Consistently. Over time.

Not just:

• The fittest

• The most competitive

• The most technically able

But:

• Older players

• Returning players

• Injured players

• Social players

• Players at all levels

This is where most clubs fail.

They optimise for performance
And unintentionally shrink their base

We do the opposite.

Inclusivity makes the system viable

Lewes FC Vets works because:

• Players feel they belong

• Players keep turning up over years and decades

• Players move between formats (competitive and social)

• Players stay connected even when injured or ageing

This creates:

• Stable attendance

• Reliable income

• A resilient player base

Without this:

• Attendance drops

• Income becomes unstable

• Costs remain fixed

• The model breaks

Exclusion is not just culturally damaging. It is financially unsustainable.

What this means in practice

Inclusivity is not an idea.
It is behaviour.

It looks like:

• Passing to everyone

• Trusting teammates on the ball

• Allowing mistakes

• Encouraging rather than criticising

• Avoiding language that excludes

When players feel:

• Judged

• Excluded

• Or not good enough

They disengage.

And when enough players disengage:

The system fails.

The deeper point

Lewes FC Vets exists so people can:

Play football across their whole lives

We are not the players we once were
We carry injuries
We slow down

But the game can still be there
If the environment allows it

The bottom line

If we want:

• Multiple weekly sessions

• High-quality 3G football

• A sustainable club

• A long-term community

Then we must protect this principle:

Everyone belongs. In every session. In every team.

This is not optional.

It is the foundation that allows Lewes FC Vets to function, sustain itself, and endure.