Pagham Football Club is a football club based in Pagham, near Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Nyetimber Lane.
The club was formed in 1903, starting in the Bognor & Chichester Football league, and then joining the West Sussex league. The club at the end of the 1965âÂÂ66 season became champions of the West Sussex league Premier Division for the first time and repeated this success two more times in the 1968âÂÂ69 and 1969âÂÂ70 seasons. As well as the league success the club also achieved two Sussex Intermediate Cup wins, in the 1966âÂÂ67 and 1968âÂÂ69 season.
After achieving success in the West Sussex league the club joined Division Two of the Sussex County League for the 1970âÂÂ71 campaign, finishing third in their first three seasons. In the 1972âÂÂ73 season the club played their first ever FA Cup game drawing 0âÂÂ0 with Chichester City, before losing 2âÂÂ1 in the replay. In 1978âÂÂ79 Pagham finished as champions of Division Two, winning promotion to the top division. The club finished fourth the following season, behind champions Chichester City, but lifted the title in 1980âÂÂ81 â three points clear of runners-up Peacehaven & Telscombe, who went on to win the next two titles. Just three years later however, Pagham were relegated. Two third placings followed before the Division Two championship was lifted for the second time in 1986âÂÂ87.
Better was to follow over the next two seasons, with successive Division One titles, as well as the League Challenge Cup in 1988âÂÂ89. The club firmly established itself as a Division One club subsequently, without reaching the heights of the late 1980s â the best season being 1992âÂÂ93, when Pagham finished as runners-up to Peacehaven. 2003âÂÂ04 however, saw the club finish in the bottom three, with only the earlier liquidation of St. Leonards sparing them the drop into Division Two. There was no escape in 2004âÂÂ05 however, and a similarly wretched campaign saw the Lions drop back down into Division Two.
In what could be viewed as a season of consolidation after a couple of poor years, 2005âÂÂ06 saw the Lions only able to manage 13th place but 2006âÂÂ07 saw them comfortably return to the top flight as champions, ten points clear of runners-up St. Francis Rangers. They were transferred to the Wessex League Premier Division for the 2022âÂÂ23 season, now returned to the SCFL Premier Division for the 2023âÂÂ24 season.
Pagham Play their home games at Nyetimber Lane, Pagham, PO21 3JY.
Before moving to Nyetimber lane the club spent their first 47 years of existence playing on various farmersâ fields until they moved onto a field adjoining the cricket club in Nyetimber Lane in 1950. A small wooded shed was provided by a local farmer which served as a changing room until the club applied to enter the County League in 1970. Originally there was a cricket-type pavilion erected, alongside the current breeze block stand which at the time had no seats. The pavilion and an old wooden building that served as a bar were eventually replaced by the current clubhouse, with dressing rooms behind.