insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 07 - September 2015 | Page 108

SPORTS

LOCAL INSPIRATION

WORDS BY MELISSA JONES

George Dowell, who played for Worthing FC, stepped up to the mark to rescue
his former club when they were facing financial difficulty. George was forced
to retire from the game in 2010 after a serious car crash left him paralysed
from the chest down. He generously invested his compensation money into
the club, resulting in him becoming the majority shareholder.
Regaining strength
Having been hospitalised for 10 months
following the accident, it – understandably –
took time for George and those close to him
to adjust to this sudden change in his life. “I
didn’t do a lot for the first few years after my
accident, it took some time for me to get some
confidence to meet everyone again and for
them to get used to the way I am now, when
it is so different from the way I was before the
accident.”
Prior to the incident, George had been a
passionate footballer playing from a young
age where he started out in Worthing United’s
youth teams. George went on to be a star
player for Worthing Sixth Form College’s
football academy team, where he also
attended and studied public services. Up until
as close as the night before the accident he
also appeared on the bench a number of times
for Worthing FC themselves.
“Football was all I had done before my accident
and I was trying to find a route to get back into
it. I decided to set up Worthing Borough. All
my mates had been telling me that starting up

a team was the stepping stone I needed to get
back into football and promised they would
play for me. They were true to their word.”
In their debut season Borough won the West
Sussex league, proving that George has what
it takes to run a successful club. The team will
start in division 3 south this season and fixtures
are yet to be released.
Making a change
Having had a taste of success and a
confidence boost from getting back into the
sport he loved so much, George’s eyes were
opened to the state of the local football scene.
“From running Worthing Borough, I realised
that there was nowhere decent to train. So I
started to look for a plot of land locally that I
could turn into a football centre, but there was
nothing. It wasn’t until I saw in the paper that
Worthing FC was struggling financially that I
thought this could be my opportunity. That’s
when I asked to have a meeting with the guys
at the club and it all snowballed from there.”
The results of George’s generous investment
cannot be missed at the ground in Woodside
Road where the old pitch has been replaced

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with a new 3G pitch. “It was something I
wanted to do as soon as I came into the
club. The first match was a great occasion
for everyone involved.” Further improvements
can be seen in the clubhouse which has been
upgraded to a stylish sports bar christened
‘7HQ’. “The idea is for it to be a place where
people can come for a drink, socialise and
watch sport. We’re open every day and once
works on the kitchen are finished we hope to
increase our opening hours.”
It’s not just the stadium that George has set his
sights on for progress. He aims for the Rebels
to advance to playing in conference 2 in the
next 5 years.
George really has thrown himself into the
project management of overseeing all the
improvement works to the football centre and
has a clear idea of what to prioritise. The next
expenditure will be on improving the main
stand, which George was able to secure funds
for through kind-hearted donations made on
Crowdfunder.