adam.smith, Author at Hastings United Football Club

We are delighted to welcome One You East Sussex as a new sponsor to the club for the foreseeable future.

“One You East Sussex (OYES) are the FREE Healthy Lifestyle service for the residents of East Sussex. Everything we do is completely FREE of charge and can be accessed in a number of different ways. We can help people lose weight, become more active, drink less or even eat a little healthier.

One area we are focussing on this year is helping local residents to stop smoking, we all know the health benefits of stopping smoking but did you know you are 4x more likely to quit the habit for good with the help of a dedicated trained stop smoking advisor and that is where OYES come in! You can access a FREE stop smoking advisor either face to face in one of our 50+ locations across East Sussex or if you prefer we can speak to you on the phone.. Not only do you receive a dedicated smoking advisor but you also get access to FREE products such as Nicotine replacement Therapy (Patches, Gum etc) or if you prefer we offer FREE Vapes to help you quit for good.

As part of their sponsorship One You East Sussex are our Match Day Programme Sponsors for our next home game v Hendon on Saturday 5^th March if you are thinking of giving up smoking come along and meet Dan and his team who will be located in front of our main stand where they will be giving away FREE vapes (T & C’s apply).

Thank you to Dan and the team at One You-East Sussex, your support really is appreciated.

To find out more information or to sign up for any of One You East Sussex FREE programmes please check out www.oneyoueastsussex.org.uk

Join us as we update you with the latest news from Hastings United including news of The developments planned to the Pilot Field

Answering the questions will be your the football club Owners, Shareholders and Directors along with Mens First Team Manager Danny Searle and Club Captain Adam Lovatt

There will be complimentary food and the bar will be open for you to grab a drink

THURSDAY 13th MARCH

18:30

THE PILOT BAR

After the Forum we invite you to attend an open training session as Danny puts the players through their paces

You ask the questions, we will answer them

Welcome to the March
Bulletin from Hastings United FC

TEAM NEWS

MENS FIRST TEAM

February has been another stop start month for us. Despite some of the results our performances have been improving, and the squad feels confident about the direction we are going in. We fully understand that this needs to be converted into points but the confidence in the group is good.

Everyone at the Pilot Field for the game against Lewes would have seen a very dominant performance with the ball but unfortunately on the day our finishing let us down. We were then undone by a dubious penalty, which was Lewes’ only chance of the game. This was followed by a very disciplined performance against a very good Horsham side, an excellent first half against Cheshunt and then finally a poor game but a point at home against Dulwich Hamlet.

The biggest concern for us in this period has been converting and creating chances, which is why we added Reece Grant to the squad. He brings a wealth of experience and the edge that we need to help us start scoring and capitalising on our improved performances.

Games will come thick and fast in March so there are plenty of opportunities for us to get the points we need.

Stick together!

Danny

4^th March away to Chatham Town (19.45)

8^th March home to Hendon

15^th March away to Dartford

22^nd March home to Chichester City

25^th March home to Canvey Island (19.45)

29^th March home to Billericay Town

WOMENS FIRST TEAM

Off the field, some excellent news bringing in Josh Oatham, who’s CV speaks for itself; myself and all the girls are very excited to see what we can do under the guidance of Josh. We are certainly looking to hit the run in with everything we have!

2 league games and 1 League Trophy game in February, unfortunately losing all 3. The Trophy game saw us play Soccer Elite at Home, 0-0 at Full time, unfortunately with a lack of subs, fitness took its toll and no recognised goalkeeper from half time, and we sadly lost 2-0.

We then travelled away to 2 title chasing sides in Aylesford and Bognor Regis Town. We went to Aylesford with 10 U18’s in the squad, which shows a great pathway for the young players in our area being exposed to Step 6 football. Unfortunately, our lack of experience cost us to a very good Aylesford side.

Bognor, we went with 13 players with 2 U16’s making the bench for debuts. We went 1-0 up within 2 minutes via an Amy Critchfield wonder strike. Unfortunately, after a real battle, we conceded 2 very good long-range strikes and 2 corners. We definitely gave them a run for their money, but again, a very good side. We face both at home soon!

We have 9 games left, 6 being at home, we really need as much support as possible, it really does push the team on, we are doing all we can off the pitch to get us out this relegation battle, which the players and myself know what to do to achieve this. Next up we face a massive game at Three Bridges away, where we are looking to take home 3 points back to the Pilot Field! Next home game we have Bognor which we again are looking to fight for our lives and put us in a place the club deserves to be.

Jason

9^th March away to Three Bridges

16^th March home to Bognor Regis Town

23^rd March away to Bexhill United

30^th March home to Saltdean United Dev.

Hastings United are pleased to announce the appointment of Josh Oatham as Head of Women’s and Girls Football

Josh’s role will see him work closely with Women’s First Team manager Jason Tibble as well as developing a longer-term strategy within the Girls Academy and Development squad as we look to grow and refine our offering in women’s and girls’ Football.

Josh has previously held a full-time position of first team coach at Charlton Athletic with the women’s first team in the Women’s Championship, as well as managing Gillingham and Billericay Women

Welcome to Hastings United Josh

Hastings United Inclusive & Disability Team

Hastings went up to lancing on the 9th February. We played against Wicks and Brighton.

Hastings United 0 Wicks 0.

A really good game to coach. I told them to press and make their passes count. They did exactly that, maybe just needed to work on the quickness of pressing as they gave Wick sometimes with the ball before being able to win the ball back. We were so lucky not to get a goal be wise in my opinion I feel we were the strongest team.

Hastings United 0 Brighton 1

Again, a game that I think we were unlucky not to finish with a draw as the goal happened in the last minute. Again, really good defending and working as a team. I am confident on this team that now we can go to Lancing and almost come away with points with every visit.

We have gone up to Lancing three times now and two out of the three we have come back with points.

Players player went to Charlie our goalkeeper who was fantastic and always putting his body on the line.

Managers player went to Alex and Jack. Alex is our brick wall on defence and always works hard every game he’s at. Jack has been with us now at Lancing for two visits and he’s really found a place in the team. He worked hard as well and was everywhere on the pitch. We look forward to next month’s games and hope we can continue playing as well as we have been.

Lewis Willard

Head of Hastings United Youth and Adults Inclusive and Disability Team

CLUB NEWS

We are delighted to announce: –
That One You East Sussex is a new sponsor to the club for the foreseeable future.

One area we are focussing on this year is helping local residents to stop smoking, we all know the health benefits of stopping smoking, but did you know you are 4x more likely to quit the habit for good with the help of a dedicated trained stop smoking advisor and that is where OYES come in! You can access a FREE stop smoking advisor either face to face in one of our 50+ locations across East Sussex or if you prefer, we can speak to you on the phone. Not only do you receive a dedicated smoking advisor, but you also get access to FREE products such as Nicotine replacement Therapy (Patches, Gum etc) or if you prefer, we offer FREE Vapes to help you quit for good.

To find out more information or to sign up for any of One You East Sussex FREE programmes please check out www.oneyoueastsussex.org.uk (where you can make a free referral) or call us on 01323 404600

Thank you to Dan and your team, we really do appreciate your support.

Terms & Conditions apply

FAN FORUM

There will be a Fans Forum on Thursday 13^th March at 6.30pm in the Pilot Bar. Further details about the Forum will follow soon and be posted on the HUFC social media channels

FOOD HYGIENE RATING

The Club is pleased to announce that following an inspection by the Environmental Health and Licensing Team from Hastings Borough Council the Club’s Food Hygiene Rating under the Food Hygiene Standards rating process has been upgraded from Rating 3 to the highest standard of a Rating 5

New season ahead –

New Commercial Opportunities

With The Macron Sports Hub – returning to Hastings United Football Club as the U’s technical kit provider, we have some fabulous sponsorship opportunities for the 2025/2026

Back of The Shorts Sponsorship

Become a main kit sponsor at Hastings United Football Club and your company logo would be showcased on the back of the men’s and women’s first team shorts for all league and cup games.

The sizing and placement of your logo is governed by league restraints (your logo would be no larger than 100mm square and would be placed on the back of the right leg of the shorts).

Sponsorship of The Men’s and Women’s 1^st Team Players Training & Travel Wear

This is an excellent opportunity to enhance your brand visibility while supporting local athletes as we travel across the Southeast. Players wear their tracksuits to every game and for all events and individual player appearances. There are no size limitations with regards to your branding on the tracksuits.

As a bonus on any of the above opportunities, sponsors would get your branding and all the associated exposure for the remainder of the 2024/5 season FOC.

To find out more about the above opportunities and to discuss your requirements please email commercal@hastingsunited.com

Dates for your Diary

Sunday 1^st June – It’s a Knockout Spectacular Pilot Field at 12pm

Saturday 27^th September – Elvis Show and Casino Night 7.00pm in Hastings United Sports & Social Club

Friday 21^st November – Hastings United FC Fireworks Evening at Pilot Field 7.00pm (Please note times may be slightly varied and will be confirmed nearer the date of the event)

Features/Forthcoming Events

The Titanium Executive Box

There is just one opportunity left to book the Box, which is for the fixture v Hendon on Saturday 8^th March 3:00pm Kick off

It’s a great way to bring together friends, family, work mates or business associates to enjoy a group matchday experience in your own private pitch side executive box with direct access onto our terraces!

Our full package includes:

12 adult box tickets
Welcome Drink
Complimentary Team sheets, Matchday programmes,
Editorial Feature within our Matchday Programme
Choice of Half-time Food & Pay Bar Facilities
Mentions via PA announcements,
Commemorative group photo of the occasion
£270.00 plus VAT

To book please email commercial@hastingsunited.com

To acknowledge the fantastic support from our Business community we have developed the Sponsors Shield which will appear on our Facebook pages featuring all our sponsors to say thank you. Thanks to Paul and Adam for making this happen.

Hastings United are pleased to announce the appointment of Josh Oatham as Head of Women’s and Girls Football

Josh’s role will see him work closely with Women’s First Team manager Jason Tibble as well as developing a longer term strategy within the Girls Academy and Development squad as we look to grow and refine our offering in women’s and girls Football.

Josh has previously held a full time position of first team coach at Charlton Athletic with the women’s first team in the Women’s Championship, as well as managing Gillingham and Billericay Women

Watch this space for our first interview with Josh

Welcome to Hastings United

The rating is applied to the Main Club and the Sports & Social Club premises, and the assessment is based on the following criteria

Food hygiene: How food is handled, prepared, cooked, cooled, and stored
Structure and cleanliness: The condition of the building, including layout, lighting, ventilation, and facilities
Confidence in management: How well the business manages and records food safety

The Club is grateful to all the staff who have helped the Club achieve this excellent rating

Hastings United Inclusive & Disability Team sponsored by Poppypac went to Lancing on the 9th February to play a couple of matches. We played against Wick and Brighton.

Hastings United 0-0 Wick

A really good game to coach. I told them to press and make their passes count which they did exactly. Maybe we just needed to work on the quickness of pressing as they gave wick time with the ball before being we were able to win it back. We were so unlucky not to get a goal because in my opinion I feel we were the strongest team.

Hastings United 0-1 Brighton

A game that I think we were unlucky not to finish with a draw as the goal happened in the last minute. Again really good defending and working as a team. I am confident on this team that now we can go to Lancing and almost come away with points with every visit. We have gone up to Lancing three times now and two out of the three we have come back with points

Players Player went to Charlie our goalkeeper who was fantastic and always putting his body on the line.

Managers Player went to Alex and Jack. Alex is our brick wall on defence and always works hard every game he’s at. Jack has been with us now at lancing for two visits and he’s really found a place in the team. He worked hard as well and was everywhere on the pitch.

We look forward to next month’s games and hope we can continue playing as well as we have been.

Lewis Willard – Head Coach of Hastings United Inclusive & Disability Team

Hastings United can today confirm that we have mutually agreed to terminate the contract of Tommie Fagg.

We thank Tommie for all his hard work and dedication to the club during his time with us and wish him well for the future

Danny Searle said the following of Tommie

“Tommie has been excellent since I have been at the club but unfortunately he has suffered an injury that will see him miss at least the next 5-6 weeks. I had a long chat with him and he said that he knows the situation the club is in and he wants to give us the best chance of staying up, and he knows we need to replace him. It’s not often a player makes this kind of gesture and we wish Tom the very best with his recovery and his future“

Tommie Fagg had this message for the U’s fans

“It has been mutually agreed that I part ways with Hastings United. Due to an injury I have picked up, I am undergoing treatment and will be for some time. I hope to build up my fitness and be back to football as soon as possible, but for the meantime it’s time to rest. I want to say a massive thank you to the Board, the manager, all the players and the fans at Hastings United. Through the ups and downs we stick together and keep going, I wish everyone at the club all the best for the future“

We grabbed a few words with Danny Searle and he gave us his view on the past week at Hastings United

First we asked Danny his thoughts on Monday nights defeat to Carshalton

I thought we was very unfortunate, the level of the performance was probably one of the best performances we’ve had since I’ve been at the club over the 90 minutes and from my perspective it was good to see some relationships starting to build with a few new players coming in and we’re really unfortunate they’re the games that we’ve lost so far far me, I don’t think we’ve been unlucky, I think we’ve deserved what we’ve got, whereas Monday was the first game I watched this and I thought, you know what we were, we were toe-to-toe with this side who were challenging for the playoffs and actually looking at the game could have gone either way especially after we equalised. I was pleased with the boys and it’s a positive.

Then we had a couple of new players to meet, Firstly Teddy Perkins

Teddy, I know well, he is a tall defender and joins us from Welling. I think we’ve been lacking that that real leadership in a centre half someone who communicates well and that does that the nasty bits well and is also good on the ball, his distributions good too, so it brings real strength and real character to the team and improves us, which is what it’s all about

Then Heon Jin who has been in our last three match squads

Heon Jin, he’s a lad who and came in on almost a trial trial game for him against Binfield in the League Cup and I liked what I saw. I thought he had some nice little bits, considering he hadn’t play for nearly a year. He’s been in Korea dealing some family issues, so when he came in it was literally just his first 75/80 minutes of the year. He did some good stuff and is technically good, capable in the ball so he’s available for selection.

And finally we look ahead to our Sussex Derby at The Pilot Field on Saturday

Looking forward to Saturday it’s a massive game for us, well they’re all massive games, We’ve got cup finals now till the end of the season. Being a local Derby at home at The Pilot Field with a massive crowd and I think from our perspective, if we can achieve the level of performance we did on Monday night against a good side then we can do it again. We will try and play and I think we can we can win the game which is what it’s all about now. We need to start putting points on the board so I’m looking forward to the game. Lewis are a good side with a good squad, but I think we’re building a good squad now and we’re getting some strength in depth in areas which we didn’t have before.

Let’s get the Pilot Field rocking U’s fans

HASTINGS UNITED v LEWES – GRAB YOUR TICKET

The club can confirm that following discussions with manager Danny Searle, Jack Dixon has decided to leave the club to explore other options, citing personal and family reasons as well as an inability to fully commit behind his decision.

Over the years Jack has given us many many amazing memories from FA Cup runs to league champions and for this we thank him and wish him well for the future.

We spoke with Jack and current U’s manager Danny Searle regarding Jacks decision

Danny Searle

I had really long conversation with Jack and says he’s in a very difficult position from his mental perspective because he loves the club. He’s been a great servant of the club but unfortunately his current situation is that he doesn’t feel he can fully focus and commit to what we’re trying to do.

I appreciate his honesty, and commend him for his this because there are a lot of players that will just keep turning up just trying to get a salary and he’s got more respect for the club than that. Obviously it’s a disappointment because he’s the sort of personality you do want around the building, but we also have to respect the fact that there is a life outside of football and when you have children your life changes. For him to be honest and let us know that his ability to be able to commit fully to what we want to do is not there at the minute and it is obviously a shame.

Jack goes with our best wishes and we’ve left the door open for him if ever that situation changes and he wants to be back involved with what we’re doing he’d be welcome back with open arms but we wish to him the very best luck and thank him for all of his contribution in the short time I’ve had him at the club but obviously the bigger picture is the long term effect he’s had on the club.

Hopefully we see him soon back at The Pilot Field soon

Jack Dixon

After much thought I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from the club. I felt I needed to either take a break away from the game or explore a new challenge.

I’ve enjoyed many years at the Pilot Field and I have some very special memories. I will continue to support and follow the club closely

Hastings United Inclusive & Disability Team is back for 2025 and we are bigger and better

As we don’t have a league game until February we were lucky enough to be invited by 1066 Specials to have some friendlies.

A really good morning was held at Bexhill college where we had one team of 8v8 and one team of 7v7.

It was really good to see some new faces join in the games with a new player will be in the process of signing on to the team. We also had two players from our youth team also involved. The two youth players should have great potential and I cannot wait to see how their future in the team progresses.

Our next games are in the league which starts February. I am hoping for some good games and hopefully some more points for the table.

It’s great to see the growth in both teams but we are still always looking for new players, whether it’s the Adults or Youths

Lewis Willard (Hastings United Inclusive & Disability Team Lead Coach)

Training EVERY TUESDAY at Bexhill Leisure Centre, Down Road, Bexhill, TN39 4HS (Off King Offa Way)

YOUTHS – 5:00pm – 6:00pm

ADULTS – 6:00pm – 7:00PM

To find out more information or interested in signing up please feel free to contact me at lewis.hastingsuniteddisability@gmail.com

We are really looking forward to the rest of this season and more friendlies in the next coming months.

Up the ‘U’s

Join us as we update you with the latest news from Hastings United including news of The developments planned to the Pilot Field

Hastings United Inclusive & Disability Team is back for 2025 and we are bigger and better

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