This is The HSEnergy Group Stadium
Home is where the heart is
HSEnergy Group Stadium has been home to Haywards Heath Town since 1952. The stadium was opened by Stanley Rous ahead of its inaugural match against Horsham. The main stand is an original building with the Stadium having undergone extensive work in recent years to bring it up to Isthmian League standard. We’re proud of the quirks and oddities that come from having a 70-year-old ground as our home but are always looking for ways to improve the matchday experience for supporters of all ages.
Venue Hire at HSEnergy Group Stadium
Haywards Heath Town Football Club is a part of the community, our location in the heart of the town allows us to maintain a connection with the residents of the town and we’re keen that our facilities are used by the local community. As such we are able to make available our facilities for private hire at competitive rates.
3G Training Pitch
HSEnergy Group Stadium has a six-a-side all-weather 3G training pitch available to hire by the whole community. It has been purpose-built to accommodate football of all ages and abilities. Thanks to a layer of IRB-approved shock pads, the 3G area is also great for other sports and activities.
If you would like to hire the 3G training pitch, then please contact Haywards Heath Town FC via email for more information
Bar / Function Room Hire
If you need to hire a bright, modern and spacious venue for an event in Haywards Heath, then look no further than the new and improved clubhouse at HSEnergy Group Stadium.
The clubhouse is available to hire most days and nights, has a fully working kitchen and a well stocked, fully-licensed bar. It is suitable for kids parties, adults parties, wakes, anniversaries, business meetings, club meetings and other social gatherings.
To discuss your needs or make a booking, contact Haywards Heath Town FC via email for more information.
How To Find Us
HSEnergy Group Stadium is located in the eastern side of Haywards Heath on Allen Road. It is a 10 minute walk from Haywards Heath Station and whilst there is some on-street parking in the local area supporters are informed that parking at the stadium is for Players, Officials, Sponsors and Season Ticket Holders only. We urge supporters travelling by car to lift-share where possible.
Simmo's Cafe
Open Monday to Saturday
7am to 2pm
Simmo's Cafe History
We broke new ground with the grand opening of Simmo’s on Saturday 30th March 2024 when we welcomed Loxwood to the Home Smart Energy Stadium. The café was opened by mayor Stephanie Inglesfield and Marion Sim, the widow of our former fixture secretary Tony Sim whom “Simmo’s” is affectionately named after.
Simmo as he was affectionately known had been part of the fabric of the club for generations, and knew everyone in Sussex football. We’re very proud to name the café after him to have a lasting memorial.
Simmo's Cafe Information
The old Pilgrim Huts had lain derelict since the COVID pandemic, when it was previously used as a boxing gym. However the facility had been neglected for a number of years, until new ownership came in and wanted to make use of the existing facility. The new café will be open on nonmatchdays as well, offering breakfast and lunch to locals, as well as being a hub for our youth and senior sides. It will also be our main catering outlet on matchdays, replacing the rickety old burger van that has been on it’s last legs for some time.
The total investment has been with the support of sizable contributions from both the Football Foundation and Mid Sussex District Council, as well as internal club funds, for which the club is very thankful for their support.
History
Men's Team History
The first match to be played by a team representing Haywards Heath was in March 1888, which provided the impetus for the formation of ‘Haywards Heath Juniors’. After a brief change of name to ‘Excelsior’ in 1894, the club adopted the name ‘Haywards Heath FC’ in 1895.
Without a home ground, the club led a somewhat nomadic existence in its early days, playing most of its games away until 1895 when it was offered the use of the field in South Road which was later to become Victoria Park and the club’s home venue until 1952.
Haywards Heath FC lifted its first silverware in 1900 when it won the Sussex Junior Cup and played in the Mid-Sussex League of which it was a founding member. 1901-1906 saw the club finish as runners up in the senior division in four of its first five seasons, then division 2 winners in 1911-12 after relegation in 1908.
In 1919-20 Haywards Heath were Mid-Sussex League champions without losing a game. They won the title again in 1922-23 and went on to retain it for the next two seasons, losing only one match in each season.
In 1926, the club transferred to the Brighton, Hove & District League and, after winning the league title at the very first attempt, joined the Sussex County League the following year. The first five seasons in the County League (1926-1932) saw the club finish in the top four but they were sadly to finish bottom of the league in the 1932-33 season.
In 1941-42, the club were winners of the Sussex Senior Cup and, after the war, were the league’s Eastern Division winners of 1945-46. A single division league was re-introduced the following year which the club won in both 1949-50 and again in 1950-51.
In 1952 the club finally moved from Victoria Park to the newly finished Hanbury Stadium which enabled it to join the Metropolitan League which included the reserve sides of professional clubs such as West Ham, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal. After a promising first season finishing in fifth place, the club struggled against the professional opposition and, finishing bottom in 1960-61, elected to re-join the Sussex County League.
The Division One title was won in 1969-70 and the League Cup in 1972-73. The club was also runners-up in 1974-75 but were relegated at the end of the 1979-80 season. The Division Two Cup was won in 1983-84 and, as runners-up in 1985-86, the club again gained promotion back into the senior division.
In 1988, our centennial year, the present name of Haywards Heath Town Football Club was adopted in to reflect the ‘town’ status of Haywards Heath itself.
Two successive relegations in 1992 and 1993 saw the club drop into the third division where they won the Division Three Cup in 2000-01. The following year as Division Three runners-up, HHTFC were promoted back to Division Two but were again relegated after only one season. Heath won the Division Three Cup in 2008-09 and after finishing as runners-up in 2012-13 gained promotion back into Division Two.
On the rebranding of the Sussex County League to the Southern Combination Football League in 2015, the second division was renamed Division One and the title was won that first season, earning Haywards Heath Town FC promotion to the Premier Division. The club finished top of the Premier division the following season (2016-17) and were due to be promoted to the Isthmian League.
Promotion was denied following a nine-point deduction, which saw the championship awarded elsewhere. The club however responded in style by winning the Premier Division again in the 2017-18 season, this time adding the Peter Bentley Cup.
Heath enjoyed a successful 2018-19 debut in the Isthmian League, finishing fifth position which qualified the Blues for the play-offs. The club were eliminated by Horsham, who went on to win promotion to the Premier Division.
The squad also reached the final of the Sussex RUR Cup and the semi-finals of the Sussex County Senior Cup. Our Senior Cup run included a famous away win at Crawley Town.
Following two seasons curtailed by COVID, Haywards Heath Town FC returned with a bang in the 21-22 season. The team reached the quarterfinals of the Isthmian League Cup, beating Ashford, Ramsgate, and Worthing on the way, before being defeated by eventual winners Horsham.
The team achieved its highest finish in its history, finishing 4th in the Isthmian South-East division. However, they were to be beaten by Herne Bay on penalties in the semi-final of the playoffs, who went on to win promotion to the Premier Division.
After a season of struggles in 22-23, the side were relegated to the Southern Combination Football League following a 3-2 defeat at home to Essex side Redbridge in a relegation playoff.
Haywards Heath’s first season back in the Sussex League in the 23/24 season saw a 6th placed finish, one spot outside of the playoffs. The Blue’s also reached the RUR Cup Final, finishing as runners up to Horsham YMCA on penalties.
Women's Team History
Founded in 1991, Crawley Wasps were instrumental in the successful development of girls’ football in the crawley area. From the early days of playing seven-a-side in various Surrey leagues, the club expanded to more than 100 playing members in teams at all levels from Under-11s to three Ladies sides.
Wasps helped pioneer the development of ladies and girls’ football in Sussex, becoming a founding member of the Sussex County Women and Girls’ Football League in 2002–03.
Between May 2013 and May 2018, as they progressed from Under-11s to Under-16s, one Wasps team lost just three of 70 matches against girls teams – their dominance was such that they tested themselves in a boys’ league in 2016–17.
The club celebrated its 25th anniversary season, in 2016–17, in style on and off the pitch. Thales, one of Crawley’s largest employers, became Wasps’ first-ever main club sponsor, while the Ladies’ first team reached the Sussex Cup final and also the League Cup final.
In 2017–18, Wasps’ first team earned a historic promotion to the FA Women’s National League South, going unbeaten as they won the London & South East Premier Division, while again reaching the Sussex Cup and League Cup finals.
The 2018-19 was unquestionably the most successful in the club’s history. The first team won the FA Women’s National League Division 1 South East (securing back-to-back promotions), reached the League Cup final and played in front of 1,550 people in the fourth round of the Women’s FA Cup. The reserves and Under-18s also won their respective league titles.
Wasps first team then led the FA Women’s National League South for much of the following season, which was curtailed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. They did win the Sussex Women’s Challenge Cup for the first time, beating Chichester on penalties. The club’s reserves performed well in their debut season in the FA Women’s National League Reserve Section, and the youth sectioned swelled to over 100 players.
Following relegation to the FA Women’s National League Division One South East, the Wasps would merge with Haywards Heath Town FC, playing home games at Hanbury Stadium starting from the 23/24 season.
Unfortunately, seasons 22/23 and 23/24 bought successive relegations and took the Blues out of the FA Women’s National League. The 23/24 season was the first for Haywards Heath Town Women with the side playing out of the Home Smart Energy Stadium.
There was success and hope for the future with the U18’s girls winning the inaugural Sussex Girls Challenge Cup 3-1 vs Worthing Town, thanks to a Tess Ciccardini hat trick at Culver Road.
