Club Background
Worthing AFC (the Association bit would be dropped in 1899-00) was founded in 1886. In 1900 it merged with another local club, Worthing Athletic, and in 1901 moved into a new home, Woodside Road, where it has remained ever since. The club played County level football all the way through to the Second World War. One highlight was reaching FA Cup Round One Proper for the first time in 1936-37 where the Mackerel Men met Yeovil & Petters United. The Glovers won 4-3 (see We’ve Met Before, below).
After WWII Worthing continued playing County football for a few more years before applying to and being accepted into the Corinthian League for 1948-49. There was little success and in the late Fifties the club finished bottom three seasons in a row. When the Corinthian League was wound up in 1963 Worthing, along with most of the other clubs, transferred into the Athenian League with a new Division 1 created. Here success was instant, a second place finish in 1963-64 seeing the club promoted to the Athenian Premier. There it spent three seasons before back-to-back relegations in 1967-68 and 1968-69 saw it sink into the doldrums of Athenian Division 2. It took the Mackerel Men four seasons to get back out and they then spent five seasons mostly clinging on in the lower reaches of Division 1.
In 1977 Worthing moved to the Isthmian League, accepted into Division 2. There was no immediate success but in 1981 the club’s fortunes were about to change with the arrival of Barry Lloyd. Sacked as Yeovil Town manager in January 1981 he took the Worthing job and his first two full seasons, 1981-82 and 1982-83, brought double promotion as Champions both times up to the Isthmian Premier. Also in 1982-83 the club got to the FA Cup Proper for the second time in its history, this time to the Second Round, eventually going out away at Oxford United.
The Lloyd magic continued, the club’s first two seasons at Isthmian Premier level seeing second place finishes. He had one more go at taking Worthing up to the top tier of Non-League, then named the Alliance Premier (or Gola League), in 1985-86. That meant matches against the club which had sacked him, the Glovers having just been relegated into the Isthmian. Neither went well (see We’ve Met Before, below) for Lloyd or Worthing. Yeovil Town would finish second that season (to Sutton United), Worthing a disappointing 14th. At the end of the season Lloyd got an offer to become assistant to Alan Mullery at Brighton & Hove Albion and departed Woodside Road. When Mullery was sacked in 1987 Lloyd would be promoted to manager, a position he held until resigning in December 1993.
In 1985 the main stand, built in the 1920s, burnt down. The replacement we see today was opened in 1986.
Meanwhile back in Worthing, Lloyd’s departure saw the club relegated the following season and then struggle in Division 1 for four campaigns until a catastrophic 1990-91, during which they won only two league games and ended on ten points, saw relegation to Division 2. The club turned to Gerry Armstrong who stabilised the situation in his first season as manager and then led it to promotion as Champions in his second.
The 1993-94 season saw consolidation in Division 1 with an 8th place finish. Armstrong’s Northern Ireland commitments as Assistant Manager had been taking up more of his time and he left Worthing with coach John Robson stepping up to take the managerial reins. The next season there was promotion, with Worthing finishing (an admittedly very distant by 22 points) second to Boreham Wood, just in time to meet Yeovil Town who’d been relegated to the Isthmian again. Worthing lasted just one season in the Isthmian Premier this time, finishing bottom.
There followed seven seasons of almost continuous mediocrity in the second tier of the Isthmian which even the return of Barry Lloyd for a second spell from 2001-03 couldn’t dispel. Alan Pook and Danny Bloor took over as joint-managers for 2003-04 and there was immediate success, leading the club to second place and promotion back to the Isthmian Premier. This time the club lasted three seasons before relegation struck. Two failures in the play-offs to get back up (2007-08 and 2008-9) saw Pook resign. Bloor hadn’t resigned, assumed he still had a job, but was told he would have to reapply. Worthing appointed Simon Colbran. He lasted one season – getting the club to the play-offs for a third season in a row, where it went out at the first time of asking for the third time in a row – and was gone.
Next up, Chris White. He lasted two seasons. Then the duo of Lee Brace and Kieran Collins. They lasted one and a bit. Worthing was drifting and in financial trouble.
At the end of 2013 Adam Hinshelwood (of whom more later) became the next manager but was lured away by a coaching job at Brighton & Hove Albion after a season and a half. However of more importance for the club at that time was the takeover. George Dowell, formerly at the club in the youth set-up and who’d made a couple of First Team appearances, had any playing career ended when a serious car crash left him in a wheelchair paralysed from the chest down at the age of 18 in 2010. In 2015 he used some of his compensation money to become majority shareholder. A whirlwind of energy had arrived at a club that had seemingly settled in recent years for mere existence. Debts hanging round its neck were settled, an artificial pitch installed to generate income outside of matchdays and Woodside Road and its facilities given the first major makeover in several decades. The press was informed there was a Five Year Plan to take Worthing into National League South.
Of course it had to get out of Isthmian Division 1 South first. With Hinshelwood gone to Brighton Jon Meeney was internally promoted to the role of Joint-Manager alongside new signing Gary Elphick who would be a Player-Manager. The 2015-16 campaign saw Worthing into the play-offs after finishing third and this time they won, smashing Hythe Town 7-0 in the Semi-Final and then defeating Faversham Town 3-0 in the Final.
Back in the Isthmian Premier Meeney stepped down leaving Elphick in sole charge. That campaign started well but faded badly in the latter stages with a 12 match winless run; and when the 2017-18 season began with eight straight defeats Elphick was out. Hinshelwood was persuaded to come back from Brighton. With just one point from the first ten matches to build on he clawed back the gap and the Mackerel Men eventually finished 16th. A three year contract was the reward.
The following season saw a 9th place finish and then the next two were abandoned at that level because of Covid-19, though the fact the club was leading the division on both occasions held promise for the future. In 2021-22 that promise was delivered with Worthing scoring 100 goals and racking up 97 points in a 22 club division: Champions by ten points. Taking out the two abandoned campaigns Dowell had indeed achieved his Five Year Plan exactly on schedule.
The momentum continued through into National League South, Worthing finishing 4th in 2022-23. Braintree Town was beaten 2-1 in the opening play-off but the Mackerel Men went out 2-0 to eventual winners Oxford City at the Semi-Final stage.
This season Worthing has started pretty well overall though a couple of heavy 0-4 defeats on the road suggests there are some vulnerabilities that can be exploited by opponents.
We’ve Met Before
Previous Results for Yeovil Town First Team vs Worthing
| 28/11/1936 | Home | FAC1 | W | 4-3 | Payne, Doncaster, Halliday, Attley | ||
| 10/05/1985 | Home | Test | W | 3-0 | |||
| 31/03/1986 | Away | ILP | W | 5-2 | 568 | Randall, James(2), McGinlay, Pardew | |
| 03/05/1986 | Home | ILP | W | 5-0 | 1730 | McGinlay(2), James(2), Pardew | |
| 04/10/1986 | Away | ILP | D | 2-2 | 1005 | Spencer, Own Goal | |
| 18/03/1987 | Home | ILP | W | 5-0 | 1391 | Donnellan, Randall(2), Wallace, Ferns | |
| 04/11/1995 | Home | ILP | W | 3-1 | 1602 | Grazioli, Patmore, Dillon | |
| 26/12/1995 | Away | ILP | L | 2-3 | 561 | Patmore, Grazioli | |
| 21//10/2023 | Away | NLS | W | 2-1 | 1874 | Worthington 8, Williams 90+7 | |
| 06/04/2024 | Home | NLS | L | 1-3 | 6034 | Fisher 84 | |
Results Summary For Yeovil Town First Team vs Worthing
| Home | Away | Overall | ||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 15 |
Club Statistics
RECENT RESULTS
| 05/08/2023 | Tonbridge Angels | Home | NLS | W | 1-0 | 1120 | Wheeler 90+5 | |
| 12/08/2023 | Torquay United | Away | NLS | W | 3-0 | 2733 | Aguiar 30, Pearce 68, Meekums 90 | |
| 15/08/2023 | Slough Town | Away | NLS | W | 4-1 | 727 | Aguiar 10, 20, Wheeler 69, Luque 77 | |
| 19/08/2023 | Aveley | Home | NLS | L | 1-2 | 1227 | Luque 60 | |
| 26/08/2023 | Dover Athletic | Away | NLS | W | 2-0 | 727 | Wheeler 8, Meekums 83 | |
| 28/08/2023 | Weymouth | Home | NLS | W | 2-0 | 1613 | Fish 31, Aguiar 61 (pen) | |
| 02/09/2023 | Braintree Town | Away | NLS | L | 0-4 | 620 | ||
| 05/09/2023 | Welling United | Home | NLS | W | 2-0 | 1197 | Pearce 68 (pen), Aguiar 79 | |
| 09/09/2023 | Hemel Hempstead Town | Home | NLS | D | 1-1 | 1435 | Colbran 81 | |
| 16/09/2023 | Eastbourne Borough | Away | FAC2Q | W | 1-0 | 1028 | Robinson 35 | |
| 23/09/2023 | Maidstone United | Away | NLS | L | 0-4 | 2243 | ||
| 30/09/2023 | Whitehawk | Home | FAC3Q | W | 2-1 | 1409 | Robinson 61, 73 (pen) | |
| 07/10/2023 | Truro City | Home | NLS | D | 2-2 | 1315 | Felix 54, Pearce 75 (pen) | |
| 14/10/2023 | Bath City | Home | FAC4Q | W | 2-0 | 1883 | Cashman 50, 53 | |
| 21/10/2023 | Yeovil Town | Home | NLS | |||||
LEAGUE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS
Highest League Attendance: 1,603
Lowest League Attendance: 1,120
Average League Attendance: 1,318
CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS
| Games Without A Win: | 3 | Games Without A Home Win: | 2 | |
| Games Without An Away Win: | 2 | Games Without Defeat: | 1 | |
| Games Without A Home Defeat: | 4 | Games Without An Away Defeat: | 0 | |
| Games Without A Draw: | 0 | Games Without A Score Draw: | 0 | |
| Games Without A No-Score Draw: | 11 | Games Without Scoring: | 0 | |
| Games Without Conceding: | 0 | Home Results Sequence: | WLWWDD | |
| Away Results Sequence: | WWWLL | Overall Results Sequence: | WWWLWWLWDLD |
Club Information
Address : Woodside Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7HQ. (Sponsorship name from August 2023: Sussex Transport Community Stadium – the constant changing being why no fans ever both to learn and never use them, a complete waste of time.)
(click for map)
Telephone Number : 01903 233444
Email : contact@worthingfc.com
Owner : George Dowell (majority shareholder)
Chairman : Barry Hunter
Safety Officer : Steve Tomlin
Club Secretary : Vas Vasssiliou
Team Manager : Adam Hinshelwood
Capacity : 3,650
Seated : 500
Covered Terrace : two partially covered totalling c. 1,500
Surface : artificial
Record Attendance : 3,600 v Wimbledon, FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying, 14/11/1936
Colours : red shirt, red shorts, red socks
Nickname : The Mackerel Men or The Rebels
Programme : assume it does one as was advertising for a sub-editor pre-season but have found no further information
Ticketing
Disabled Provision
There’s very limited parking at the ground but if require Accessible Parking, this must be booked in advance of a matchday: contact info@worthingfc.com or call 01903 233444. Note that proof of a Blue Badge will be requested in advance and is to be displayed on the matchday.
There are two disabled toilets in the Stadium. One is to be found on the East Side of the ground, behind the refreshment unit. The second is part of the brand-new toilet and refreshment block in the North-East corner of the ground.
Official Away Travel
The Green & White Supporters’ Club is running away travel to Worthing on Saturday 21st October, 3.00 p.m. kick-off.
Details are as follows:
Members: Adult £31; Concession £29
Non-Members: Adult £34; Concession £32
Coach departs Huish Park: 9.00 a.m.
To book, call Paul Hadlow on 07736 044570 (after 6.00 p.m. please) or email him on paulhadlow@outlook.com.
If you are getting in touch by email, please make it clear which match you are booking for and that you give your full name, the names of people that are travelling and a contact telephone number.
You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat.
Directions To The Ground
General
Worthing, West Sussex, has changed a lot this century. From definitely being one of God’s Waiting Rooms, filled to the brim with retired folks gently drifting towards their demise in the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, as younger generations have been priced out of first London and then increasingly Brighton it’s seen major demographic change and parts are now almost hip (in a quiet way). Woodside Road is around 110 miles from Huish Park as the crow flies; a more realistic 130 to 150 miles using the road network, depending on the route chosen.
By Road
All likely routes from the West Country will almost certainly eventually bring one on to the A27 which, via Chichester and Arundel, takes one all the way to the northern outskirts of Worthing. At the roundabout junction where the A27 meets the A24 take the third exit onto the A2031 (Offington Lane). After half a mile, at the set of lights, cross the A2032 staying on the A2031, which then becomes Rectory Road.
After another half mile, at the second roundabout, turn left into St Lawrence Avenue. At the next roundabout turn right (third exit) into St Thomas’s Road. Then take the first left into Bulkington Avenue. Woodside Road is the third right off Bulkington Avenue with the stadium about 100 yards along to the right.
Parking
The stadium has a very small footprint, with housing packed in on three sides and Worthing Pavilion Bowling Club on the fourth, so parking is extremely limited and basically going to be non-existent for ordinary fans (though see Disabled Provision, above).
The host club recommends Queen Street Car Park (entrance to left hand side of the church), BN14 7BJ. This has 80 spaces, can find no mention anywhere of any charge, and is a little over half a mile walk from the ground, so under 15 minutes.
Walking from Queen Street Car Park to the ground: turn right out of the car park into Queen Street and walk to the junction at the end. From the junction, turn left into South Farm Road. Go straight over the mini roundabout by Worthing High School and after around 200 yards take the second turning on the right, Bulkington Avenue. The second turning on the left down this road is Woodside Road and the stadium is about 75 yards down the road on the right.
By Rail
Worthing has three railway stations, Worthing, Worthing West and Worthing East. Worthing is the closest, about ten minutes walk (0.4 of a mile) from the stadium. (West Worthing is also easily walkable at 0.6 of a mile, so under 15 minutes, but fewer trains stop there. Don’t get off at East Worthing, that’s a mile and a half from the ground.) All services along this section of the West Coastway Line that stop at Worthing are operated by the dreaded Southern Railway.
From Yeovil Junction there’s a couple of route options depending on time of departure chosen: via Clapham Junction (some will also require a change at Basingstoke too); or via Southampton (with an additional change at Salisbury). Journey times are around three and half to three and three-quarter hours.
If coming from, or passing through, London then Victoria is the terminus to head for. There are two direct services an hour on Saturdays with a journey time of around one hour twenty-five minutes.
If walking from Worthing Station: at the front entrance (South side) turn right out of the station and walk parallel to the train line along Cross Street. At the end of Cross Street turn right onto South Farm Road, crossing the railway line at the level crossing. Take the first left onto Pavilion Road. About 300 yards along the first turning right is Woodside Road. The stadium is about 75 yards up to the left.
If exiting the station via the back (North side) entrance: negotiate your way through the station car park until meeting Southcourt Road. Go left along Southcourt Road, following it round to the T junction with Westcourt Road. Turn left again. On reaching South Farm Road turn right, then immediately left onto Pavilion Road. About 300 yards along the first turning right is Woodside Road. The stadium is about 75 yards up to the left.
By Bus
The main bus operators around Worthing are Stagecoach and Compass Bus. Should you need one (for example have gone down to the town centre for the greater range of pubs and other facilities, or simply to see the sea) then the services from there that run closest to the ground are: 1) Stagecoach Nos. 5 & 10 which run via Worthing Railway Station twice an hour. This is probably just about their closest alighting point to the stadium, and certainly the simplest if don’t know the area, so get off there and then follow walking directions from the station (see By Rail, above). 2) Compass Bus No. 16 does go a bit closer to the ground (Bulkington Avenue stop, at a third of a mile so six to seven minutes walk) but only runs once an hour.
By Taxi
A selection of Worthing taxi companies can be found here.
Web Resources
Web Sites
Worthing FC – Official Website.
Worthing FC – official YouTube channel.
Rebel Rebels – unofficial Worthing forum.
Social Media
Worthing FC – official Twitter (X) presence.
Local Press
Sussex World – the Worthing Herald provides some coverage of Worthing FC included under the wider on-line banner of “SussexWorld”.
Food & Drink
General
As with most coastal towns ‘central’ Worthing is down by the sea and, as is also generally the case with such places, strung out longitudinally along the coast. It invisibly (even the most geographically aware local isn’t going to know where one melds into the other) becomes Goring-By-Sea to the West; to the East there is a tiny stretch that’s not built up before coming to Lancing so that is more distinctively a separate place. Back from the coast are what were a number of villages – Tarring, Durrington etc. – and although now swallowed up as Worthing suburbs they still retain small ‘centres’ of their own.
If arriving by train the first place you’ll see on exiting Worthing Station (south side) is the large Railway Hotel. Closed for much of 2023 while undergoing a major £3 million refurbishment after being acquired by Portobello Brewing it reopened in August. Traditionally a pub much frequented by home fans; but that’s not why it doesn’t make the guide below, it’s because of the beer selection.
The last provincial town away trip recall sporting the sort of number of micropubs/bottle shops/microbars to be found here was Chorley – with seven. Some of the heavyweight drinkers managed all of them. Worthing goes into double figures (with ten below, and there’s several others that might be so classified that didn’t make the guide). There’s also some more traditional pubs listed for those who prefer sticking with that type of hostelry; and of course a Spoons: The Three Fishes.
As far as can tell the pop-up Taproom at Hand Brew Co. brewery itself on Garcia Trading Estate (BN13 1AL) is not currently opening. However, it also owns its own pub in Worthing, The Toad in the Hole (below); and its beers regularly crop up at some of the other establishments listed for those wishing to try Worthing’s home town brews.
Club Bar
Yet again, as the match is being segregated what’s available to us will depend on how the hosts decide to partition a stadium that normally isn’t. There’s a Fan Zone (opens from 1.00 p.m.), a bar in the Main Stand, and a second bar is planned and may be under construction but have no idea as to a completion date. Food options vary: with pies/pasties/chips type options available from two club run food outlets; and a rotating selection of pop-up food stalls/vans from outside vendors.
Local Pubs
Anchored in Worthing: First micropub to open in Worthing (and, it claims, the whole of Sussex) way back in 2013. Down in the heart of the town less than 100 yards off the seafront. Exactly one mile from the ground, so 20 minutes walk (or see By Bus, above). Focuses pretty much exclusively on beers and ciders (and wines) that have been produced in Sussex. Opens from noon Wednesday to Sunday, closing at 9.30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 5.30 p.m. Sunday.
Anchored in Worthing, 27 West Buildings, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3BS. Tel: 01903 529100. Map: Anchored in Worthing.
Beer No Evil: A Craft Beer Shop & Taproom a bit further out along the Brighton Road from the centre of Worthing than The Old Bike Store (below). Six changing keg taps and around 80 or so different canned and bottled beers in the fridges (an up to date list of what’s on is kept on its Untappd page). Outside area to front with tables & chairs. 1.4 miles (a half an hour walk or see By Bus, above) from the ground. Opening hours: 4.00 p.m. – 9.30 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday; noon – 9.30 p.m. Friday & Saturday; noon – 5.30 p.m. Sunday.
Beer No Evil, 82 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 2EN. Tel: 07940 973121. Map: Beer No Evil.
Bottle & Jug Dept.: Originally just an off licence (established 2018) new owners in May 2023 installed some keg lines and it now serves them and a wide range of cans and bottles on the premises as well. A tiny place, it focuses on ‘craft’ beers and ‘natural’ wines from small independent producers. On the route from Worthing Station to the ground, it’s 3 minutes walk from getting off the train and a further third of a mile (6 minutes walk) from the stadium. Opening times: 2.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; noon – 8.00 p.m. Friday & Saturday; noon – 6.00 p.m. Sunday.
Bottle & Jug Dept., 21 South Farm Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7AD. Tel: 07436 223602. Map: Bottle & Jug Dept..
Brewhouse & Kitchen: There are now close to two dozen branches of this distinctive micro-brewery chain, the web presence for the Worthing one which opened in 2021 being here. I find them too random concerning the quality of their raison d’être – that each outlet brews its own beer range on site – but plenty of people do like them. That said, the food quality is usually pretty good; and the keg lines, where more guests from external suppliers appear, are generally well chosen. Food service begins at 7.00 a.m. weekdays and 8.00 a.m. weekends (the Breakfast Menu available up to noon) and ends 9.30 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 10.00 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Disabled access, beer garden, car park (including two electric charging points). Doesn’t state when alcohol served from though other branches been in it’s been from noon. Closes 11.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday & Saturday, 10.30 p.m. Sunday. Around 15 minute walk (0.7 of a mile) from the ground.
Brewhouse & Kitchen, 14 Wykeham Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 4JD. Tel: 01903 948222. Map: Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Brooksteed: Less than 100 yards along (though on opposite side) South Farm Road from the Bottle & Jug Dept. (above) this was the second micropub to open in Worthing, back in 2014. Changing hands twice since then, most recently in 2023, and quite large for a micropub with partially covered outside areas front and back too. An up to date list of what’s on draught is on its Untappd page. Doesn’t to food itself beyond pub snacks but pop-up street food vendors are often booked (though evenings rather than day time). Children allowed in “afternoon” – not found a precise cut off time. On the route from Worthing Station to the ground, it’s 4 minutes walk from getting off the train and a further 5 minutes walk from the stadium. Opens at noon every day (except Monday when it’s 4.00 p.m.); closing 5.30 p.m. Sunday, 7.30 p.m. Monday and at 9.30 p.m. the remainder of the week.
The Brooksteed, 38 South Farm Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7AE. Tel: 07394 622572. Map: Brooksteed.
Corner House: Independent Free House since 2015 a couple of hundred yards from the Selden Arms and just a few yards from New Amsterdam (both below). Four hand pumps serving changing beers, ten keg taps a mix of multinational and more ‘craft’ type stuff. Food service noon – 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, noon – 9.00 p.m. Saturday, noon – 5.00 p.m. Sunday. Beer garden to rear, additional outside seating at front. A couple of hundred yards from the Selden Arms (below), one mile (so around 20 minutes walk) from the stadium. Opening hours: 4.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m. Monday & Tuesday; noon – 11.00 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday; noon – midnight Friday & Saturday; noon – 7.00 p.m. Sunday.
The Corner House, 80 High Street, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1DJ. Tel: 01903216463. Map: Corner House.
Fox & Finch Alehouse: Yet another micropub, this one opening 2019. Expect to find a couple of cask ales, five keg lines and three or more ciders sourced from small independent ‘craft’ style producers all round the country. What’s on is kept up to date on its Facebook page. Disabled access and toilet with full disabled facilities. Children allowed until 6.00 p.m. Hours are from 3.00 p.m. on Monday and noon the rest of the week, closing 9.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 5.00 p.m. Sunday. Pretty much the only place in the guide to the north of the stadium, 1.1 miles so 20+ minutes walk, should you find yourself up that way.
The Fox & Finch Alehouse, 8 Littlehampton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 1QE. Tel: None found. Map: Fox & Finch Alehouse.
Georgi Fin: Micropub opened 2017. Four cask beers, four keg options and four ciders, all changing and sourced from independent producers locally and nationally, plus a selection of canned and bottled offerings. Some external space with tables & chairs on the pavement. Hours are: 5.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m. Tuesday; 3.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday; noon – 10.00 p.m. Friday & Saturday; noon – 7.00 p.m. Sunday. Fifteen minutes walk from West Worthing station, but in wrong direction for the ground so half hour from the stadium.
Georgi Fin, 54 Goring Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 4AD. Tel: 01903 249224. Map: Georgi Fin.
Goose: Down on the seafront close by Worthing Pier. 1.2 miles from the ground so something under half an hour walk (or see By Bus, above). Stopped serving cask in 2019 and now focuses on ‘craft’ keg mostly sourced from independent British breweries but some foreign ones crop up too (draught offerings from Delirium and Põhjala appeared September ’23). Food is burgers/wings etc. style. Outside area with tables & benches at front overlooking the sea. CARD only, no cash. Opening hours through the week are somewhat unclear (probably varying with the seasonal tourist trade) but on a Saturday it appears to be 12.00 noon – 00.30 a.m.
The Goose Crafthouse, 18A Marine Parade, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3PT. Tel: 01903 203851 (or possibly 495905, sources vary). Map: The Goose.
Green Man Alehouse & Cider House: A few doors along from the Grizzly Bear (below). Couple of hundred yards from West Worthing Railway Station and half a mile ( so around 10 minutes walk) from the stadium. Opening 2016 as Worthing’s third micropub, as name suggests features plenty of ciders as well as beers. Sometimes has a Perry, and also Mead. Cask orientated, I won’t say there’s definitely no keg at all but seen no evidence of any. Hours are from 3.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and noon Friday to Sunday, closing 9.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 3.00 p.m. Sunday. Unusually these days, CASH ONLY, does not accept card.
Green Man Ale & Cider House, 17 South Street, Tarring, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7LG. Tel: 07984 793877. Map: Green Man Ale & Cider House.
Grizzly Bear: Micropub that opened in 2017 65 yards from the Green Man (above). Eight keg taps with a mix of changing ‘craft’ and not so craft options, and a fridge (or maybe cold vending machine?) filled with bottles and cans. Three minutes walk from West Worthing Station and half a mile (ten minutes walk) from the stadium. Post-match only as doesn’t appear to open until 5.00 p.m. (Wednesday to Sunday), closing 11.00 p.m. Wednesday, 11.30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 10.30 p.m. Sunday.
The Grizzly Bear, 33 South Street, Tarring, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7LG. Tel: none found. Map: Grizzly Bear.
New Amsterdam: A few yards from the Corner House (above). Although a long time pub (previously The Swan) it re-emerged in this guise as recently as 2019 after a lengthy period of closure. Pizza focused menu with the kitchen open 5 p.m. – 9.00 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, noon – 9.00 p.m. Saturday, 1.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m. Sunday. There’s four hand pumps generally stocking lines from smaller or middle-sized breweries and the keg selection is a mix of ‘craft’ and multinational offerings. Also carries a ranged of canned ‘craft’ beers. Both real and keg cider. Quite large beer garden to rear. Opening hours: from 4.00 p.m. Monday and noon every other day, closing 10.00 p.m. Monday & Sunday, 11.00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday. Children allowed until 7.00 p.m. One mile (so around 20 minutes walk) from the stadium.
New Amsterdam, 79 High Street, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1DN. Tel: 01903 529661. Map: New Amsterdam.
Old Bike Store: Referring to itself as a “Craft Hub” rather than a micropub it keeps up to date lists of the changing beers on offer both on its website and on Untappd. Eight keg taps for beers from widely sourced small independent ‘craft’ brewers, four ciders from boxes, and a small range of cans. Children welcome. Has some outside seating. Opening hours: 4.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 1.00 p.m. – 11.30 p.m. Saturday; 1.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m. Sunday. In central Worthing 1.3 miles (a bit under half an hour walk or see By Bus, above) from the ground.
The Old Bike Store, 65 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3EE. Tel: 01903 206311. Old Bike Store.
Selden Arms: Reopened in April 2023 after around six months closure and a substantial refurbishment under new ownership. Wet led Free House in central Worthing a couple of hundred yards from the Corner House (above), one mile, so around 20 minutes walk, from the stadium, that mostly focuses on beers from small independent breweries sourced from all round the country. Six hand pumps, fourteen keg taps and a large fridge of cans and bottles. Also does real cider. Opens at noon every day, closing 11.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday & Saturday, 10.00 p.m. Sunday.
The Selden Arms, 41 Lyndhurst Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 2BD. Tel: 01903 523361. Map: Selden Arms.
Tasting Room: Not far from Worthing Pier but a little way back from the seafront hidden away in Stanford Square which looks be to accessed via a narrow alley off Warwick Street. 1.1 miles from the ground, so 20+ minutes walk or see By Bus (above). Tiny bar (into double figures and it’s getting full though has some tables and chairs outside) that is the tap for Merakai Brewing Co. which started up in 2020 and brews about thirty miles away in Uckfield. Expect to find up to eight of their own beers on draught (mostly in keg format but sometimes something on cask), which change depending on what they’ve been brewing, and a small range of cans. Opening hours are pretty restricted : Thursday 4.30 p.m. – 9.30 p.m., Friday 3.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m., Saturday 12 noon/1.00 p.m./2.00 p.m.* – 10.00 p.m., Sunday 1.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.
(* Have I mentioned before how utterly sick to death am with pubs that don’t/won’t communicate their opening times competently?! Saturday opening at this one could be: 12 noon according to its Facebook page; 1.00 p.m. according to its website; or 2.00 p.m. according to the time it submitted to Google.)
The Tasting Room, Unit 8, Stanford Square, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3EZ. Tel: none. Map: Tasting Room.
Three Fishes: Worthing’s Wetherspoon down towards the town centre and 0.9 of a mile (20 minutes walk) from the stadium. Food service up to 11.00 p.m. Opens at 8.00 a.m. every day, closing midnight Sunday to Thursday and 1.00 a.m. Friday & Saturday.
The Three Fishes, 56 Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1BE. Tel: 01903 288640. Map: Three Fishes.
Toad in the Hole: A Tap for Hand Brew Co. This began life as a brewpub in Brighton, The Hand in Hand, but expanded in 2020 into a purpose built brewery in Worthing along with a further pub of its own, The Toad (March 2022). Cloak+Dagger Brewing rent space on this brewing kit and beers from both can be found on the pub’s 12 draught lines, 3 cask and 9 keg, along with changing guests from other small independent ‘craft’ producers. Has a range of canned and bottled beers including some Belgian offerings. No food service though they happy for customers to bring their own in from local takeaways. Children allowed until 7.30 p.m. Opening is from noon every day, closing 11.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10.30 p.m. Sunday. Just across (East side of) the A24, 15 minutes (0.7 of a mile) walk from the stadium and five minutes walk from Worthing Railway Station.
The Toad in the Hole, 1 Newland Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1JR. Tel: 01903 233488. Map: Toad in the Hole.
Wax Cactus: Converted from a former butcher’s shop this is an eclectic mix of craft beer ‘micropub’, bottle shop and cocktail bar in central Worthing. Expect seven changing keg lines from small independent breweries and some box cider options. Some outside seating on the pavement. Opening times are all a bit vague… possibly 2.00 p.m. or 3.00 p.m. (which would make it a post-match port of call) – 11.00 p.m. Saturday. Not even going to go into when it might or might not be open the rest of the week! Exactly one mile from the ground (so around 20 minutes walk or see By Bus, above).
Wax Cactus, 114-116 Montague Street, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3HG (Google Maps has it as 3BX but everyone else seems to agree it’s 3HG). Tel: 01903 920843. Map: Wax Cactus.
Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You: The town of Worthing is used to visitors, though (traditionally) most were nonagenarians.
Top-Tip: There are two Worthing clubs, Worthing FC (The Mackerel Men or Rebels) and Worthing United FC (The Mavericks). Worthing United play at the Robert Albon Memorial Ground and are in the Southern Combination Division One. Don’t go there by mistake.
Local Amenities: There’s a beach. It’s fair to say it’s not a great one. There’s a pier (see comments about British Piers and their potential for catastrophes in other away guides). This one has only burnt down the once; but it was also blown up in 1940 to hamper any use by the Germans should they invade.
Other Points Of Interest: Worthing is the British capital of Bowls, holding the National Championships each August. It is one of only three places to host the Men’s World Bowls Championship twice, the other two being Johannesburg and Adelaide – bet everyone was thrilled by those choices of Worthing in 1972 and 1992. It also held the Women’s World Bowls Championship in 1977. (No, you’re right, bowls isn’t interesting.) Worthing is only around ten miles from Brighton, a much better day out.
[No responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice. ]