Saltdean United are delighted to announce our partnership with Shepherd Neame Brewery as a club sponsor and official beer supplier for our brand new clubhouse. It is a partnership we are incredibly excited about, not only for the fantastic range of beers and ciders we are now able to offer, but to work with a company that understands the importance of the local community, aligns with our commitment to sustainability and most importantly shares our love of football!
Through Shepherd Neame brewery we were introduced to their charity partner, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) and learned about the incredible work the charity does. KSS is the local air ambulance charity for Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and their helicopters are flying emergency rooms for millions of people who live in and travel across Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex 24/7, 365 days a year.
It costs £57,000 per day to run this lifesaving service, largely funded through the generosity and support of people within the charity’s local communities. It is for this reason the club decided that the Men’s and Women’s First Teams would proudly wear the KSS logo on the front of their home kit for the 2026/27 season and will support KSS as our chosen charity this season to raise awareness and vital funds for this great cause.
To celebrate the new partnership and kick start our fundraising campaign we hosted a charity match on Saturday 4th July with Saltdean United going head to head on the pitch with Shepherd Neame in the inaugural Flavell Brown Charity Cup.
Match Report:
With the sun shining, beer flowing and our brand new facilities open, we were delighted to host Shepard Neame in our first charity match at Hill Park Stadium. Players from the committee, youth, management and women’s side made up an experienced XI, managed by Andy Brown. They came up against a strong opposition looking to take the silverware home.
It was the visitors that started quickly, going ahead inside 1 minute of the game. One of our own women’s players then scored against the Tigers after following up from a good save to put the hosts 2-0 behind. Soon U23s manager Sam Cooper dispatched his penalty to draw the Tigers level. Not long before the half time whistle, Sam was at it again, managing to beat the offside trap before slotting it past the keeper.
From then on, the game slowed with the heat (and age) getting to the players, with it finishing 2-2 and straight to penalties. Some fantastic penalty saves from both keepers saw a low level score, but it was Shepard Neame who dispatched the all-important penalty to take home the cup!
Thank you to everyone that came down to Hill Park and supported the teams and joined the celebrations in our new clubhouse. The generosity of the supporters on the day meant we raised a fantastic £1304.43 from gate donations along with a contribution of £500 from Shepherd Neame and Saltdean United, bringing the grand total for the day to £1804.43!
A special shout out also goes to Wick Football Club who donated £100 on the day when Saltdean’s Men’s 1stTeam hosted them in a pre-season friendly following the charity match.
It was a great day out for everyone involved and we look forward to raising more money for KSS and drinking more Shepherd Neame beer with our supporters this season!
Match day photographs by George Rawlingson
