Sheppey United: dancing for Joules

Sheppey United host Deal Town at Holm Park for their Non-League Day fixture at 15:00 GMT on Saturday March 22.

Based on the Isle of Sheppey, a small island off the northern coast of Kent, close to the Thames Estuary, the Ites compete in the Isthmian League South East Division (Tier 8 of English football), where they currently sit in ninth place with 48 points after 35 fixtures.

Sheppey play at the 1,530-capacity Holm Park, now known as the Sharrock Stadium for sponsorship reasons. 

Sheppey Island is about an hour’s drive from central London, while the nearest train station to Holm Park is Queenborough, from here to the stadium it’s a 30-minute walk or visitors can catch the 361 bus.

Match tickets cost £10 for adults, £5 for over-65s and Blue Light Card holders, while under-18s can go for free.

Tickets for the Athletic shirt raffle will cost £2 for a single and £5 for a strip. All the proceeds will be donated to the Joules Team Marsden Fund, set up in honour of the late Joules Smith, a little girl from Sheppey who recently passed away from cancer. 

Joules’ parents are using the campaign to raise funds for the ‘Oak Centre for Children’ at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

Furthermore, the match will be used an occasion of remembrance for Ernie Batten, a former Ites player and manager who recently lost his life.

As with all the other English clubs collaborating with Los Leones on Non-League Day, Sheppey United invite all Athleticzales in the area to attend wearing their Athletic Club jerseys as we celebrate our red and white stripes.

 

Sheppey United History

Football on the Isle of Sheppey dates back to the 1860s, with Sheppey United formed in 1890 as the result of a merger between Sheerness Victoria and Invicta.

In 1894, the Ites were founder members of the Southern League, the main league competition in southern English football at the time, joining Division Two for the inaugural season and gaining promotion to the top tier by 1896.

Sheppey were something of a force at that time, regularly facing and defeating future Premier League clubs like West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham FC, Brentford FC Watford FC and Portsmouth FC, among others.

However, in 1902, the Ites withdrew from the Southern League, unable to bear the financial cost of travelling across south England for the fixtures.

From the next century, Sheppey became a staple of Non-League football in the country of Kent but were regularly stifled by economic problems, especially from the ‘90s onwards.

After spells of inactivity and rebrands, in 2013 the club joined with Sheerness East FC to briefly become Sheppey & Sheerness United FC, but went back to Sheppey United a year later.

Since then, there has been major investments in Holm Park and the club’s structures, helping the Ites grow and reach their current level.
The Ites initially played in blue and white shirts, but changed to their current kit of red and white stripes plus black shorts in 1892.

 

“Built from the Community, for the Community”

The club’s motto exemplifies their ethos towards being an active part of life on the Isle of Sheppey.

The Ites have a women’s team and several development teams, with age groups from under-7s up to the senior squad. They also have plans to replicate this mirror this pathway for women’s football, while their facilities are fully accessible for disabled players and supporters.

A celebration of our colours

In the week leading up to Non-League Day 2025, Athletic Club will publish a series of articles about each of the clubs involved in this initiative with information about their respective histories, their kits and further details about their NLD matches.

Monday March 17 - Altrincham FC
Tuesday March 18 - Bromsgrove Sporting
Wednesday March 19 - Evesham United
Thursday March 20 - Sheppey United
Friday March 21 (morning) - Steyning Town
Friday March 21 (afternoon) - Witton Albion

Below are the details of their Non-League Day fixtures. If you’re an Athleticzale in England that weekend, we encourage you to attend one of these matches.

Altrincham FC vs Barnet FC. March 22, 17:30 GMT. J Davidson Stadium.
Bromsgrove Sporting vs Banbury United. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Victoria Ground.
Evesham United vs Cribbs. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Spiers & Hartwell Stadium.
Sheppey United vs Deal Town. March 22, 15:00 GMT. Holm Park.
Steyning Town vs Margate. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Shooting Field.
Witton Albion vs Avro. March 22, 15:00 GMT. Wincham Park.

 

About Euskal Non-League Day

Inspired by the British movement, started by James Doe in 2010, Athletic Club Foundation is preparing a third edition of Euskal Non-League Day for the weekend of March 22-23.

Non-League Day is an initiative that connects directly with Athletic Club’s identity. Besides playing a crucial role in local communities, grassroots football is a fundamental part of the club’s youth development strategy and Athletic has affiliate agreements with close to 170 clubs across the Basque Country.

Athletic Club is the only side in LaLiga that organises such an event with the purpose of celebrating non-professional football and encouraging attendance at local grounds during the March international break.

Check out the Athletic Club Foundation’s website for more information about Euskal Non-League Day and all their other projects across the Basque Country.