The Pilot Field Stadium

The Pilot Field is a football stadium in Hastings, East Sussex. It is home to Hastings United who currently play in the Isthmian League, the club have used the ground since 1985 after the old Hastings United folded, having previously used the ground between 1920 and 1948. The current capacity stands at 4,050 although over 9,000 have been known to attend events in the past and the closure of the grass bank has decreased the capacity.

History

The site is first mentioned in 1560 as 'the Pilate Field', most likely a field used for growing pilled oats and where the area gets its name from. In 1886 the large sloping meadow was proposed as the new site for the Hastings Workhouse, however the proposal was met with opposition from local residents and landowners and the scheme was eventually dropped.

In 1920 the site was earmarked as a site of a potential new sports ground for the town alongside Horntye Park, with the Pilot Field being preferred as it could be ready to use for the 1920–21 football season. The site was acquired by the Hastings Corporation in June 1920, with the Hastings Sports Association taking control in August who did the necessary work needed on the ground for Rock-a-Nore FC to compete in the Sussex County League.

The first football match to take place was between Rock-a-Nore and Chichester, with the visitors winning in front of a crowd of at least 1,000. At first the site was simply a large slope with a football pitch fenced off, with the ground also being used for cricket and rugby. The site was split into two more level pitches (upper and lower), with a cycling track being constructed around the lower pitch. Despite already being in use for the two years the Pilot Field was officially opened on 8 November 1922, with a game between a Hastings representatives and Queens Park Rangers.

In 1925 work on the main stand had started and was officially opened in April 1926, in an opening ceremony where 1,500 assembled in the structure. The cycling track was upgraded to cinder