OLD VARNDEANIANS

Hunting back in history, my first ever proper school game was an U14 school match for Collyer's GS, Horsham away v Varndean GS in the Brighton suburbs. I was U12! We lost 8-2 on a sunny Sussex Saturday AFTERNOON in September. I did score a tap in! In those days, a lot of the school fixtures were midweek and on Saturdays, some in an afternoon. We also travelled to Hove, Bognor, Chichester, Crawley and other delightful venues.

AFC Varndeanians Football Club (the old boys of the school) is based in Brighton, Sussex and is currently a member of the Southern Combination Premier Division, playing at the Withdean Stadium, a prominent sports' facility with athletics facilities. Steve Ovett would have begun his famed acreer there.

The club was formed as Old Varndeanians Football Club in 1929, when Secondary School Old Boys club (which was dominated by former pupils of Varndean School) was renamed and decided only to accept former Varndeanians as players. The secondary "Old Boys" had been members of Division One of the Brighton and Hove District League, with the new club continuing in their place. They were relegated to Division Two in 1930–31, and after finishing bottom of Division Two in 1934–35, were relegated to Division Three.

Old Varndeanians were dissolved during World War 2, before being re-established in 1946, playing at Preston Park in Brighton. They rejoined the Brighton, Hove & District League for the 1947–48 season, becoming members of Division Three and then promoted to Div 2. After a fifth-placed finish in 1951–52 the club were promoted to the Senior Division.

They moved up to Division Two of the Sussex County League in 1956. They were runners-up in 1956–57 (also winning the Invitation Cup) and then remained in Division Two until leaving the league in 1973.

The club rejoined the Brighton, Hove & District League and was placed in Premier Division, which the club won in its first season back in the league. The club had many successes and were champions again in 2002–03. The Old Vardeanians transferred to the Mid-Sussex League in 2003, winning the Premier Division in their first season and again in 2006–07 and 2008–09. In 2004–05 they won both the Montgomery Cup and the Allan Washer League Trophy. In 2015 the club adopted their current name. They finished seventh in the Premier Division in 2014–15, and switched to Division Two of the Southern Combination League (a renamed Sussex County League) for the 2015–16 season. They won the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One.

In 2021 AFC Varndeanians were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the abandoned 2019-2021 seasons.

AFC Varndeanians play Albion U21s in the Sussex Transport Senior Cup on TODAY at the Withdean (7.45pm), a nostalgic return for the Seagulls, who used the stadium as their League home from 1999 to 2011, a period which served them well with four promotions (three of them as title-winners).

Varndeanians team manager, Law Edwards, was out mowing a playing surface this afternoon. 

• Southern Combination League
  • Division Two champions 1959–60 (second tier), 2015–16 (third tier)
  • Division Two Invitation Cup winners 1956–57
• Mid-Sussex League
  • Premier Division champions 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008–09
  • Montgomery Challenge Cup winners 2004–05
  • Allan Washer League Trophy winners 2004–05
• Brighton, Hove & District League
  • Premier Division champions 1973–74, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03
• Hove and Worthing Cup
  • Winners 1948–49