The Polegrove-based outfit wants to keep moving forward after securing promotion to Division Two of the Sussex County Football League and a cup double during the 2007-08 campaign.

Senior player Peter Heritage said: "The club has got to go on. At the moment the momentum is with us, but we have to build on that momentum."

Remarkable though their achievements over the last few months have been, United are unable to progress beyond Division Two without significant improvements to their ground at The Polegrove.

Floodlights are a basic prerequisite for any club aiming towards Division One and that is the main fundraising issue facing Bexhill's dynamic and now considerably larger committee.

But at an estimated cost of £44,000, floodlights are far from cheap and the club believes that it will need to raise at least £10,000 itself in order to become eligible for financial assistance.

United are therefore imploring the town as a whole to get behind them and they intend to place a flyer through the door of every business in Bexhill asking for support.

Chairman Colin Dunstall commented: "We're very pro-active and we're looking to the future. We're not looking just to survive in Division Two, we're looking to really go forward."

Bexhill are well on the way to filling the various off-field positions, meanwhile, for next term with Chris Shoesmith set to manage the reserves and Heritage likely to run an under-18s team.

Dunstall is remaining as chairman, Paul Donno will take over from Norman Harris as secretary, while Tracy Aston has been placed in charge of the fundraising efforts.

The club has also fielded a ladies' team for the past two years, and it has undergone a marked upturn in fortune recently under the new management team of Dane Martin and Helen Smith.

United managed to retain their SE Counties League Premier Division status and hope to move up the table next term aided by sponsorship from Basmati Restaurant and 24/7 Cars.

Bexhill's youth section has been going just over a year and, after starting with an u10s team, next season there will be sides in the u11s, u12s, u9s and u7s age groups.

Two UEFA B, one FA Level One and two FA Level Two coaches are on board, and the long-term aim of Lyntton Peppiatt is to field teams right through from u7s to u16s levels.

What's more, United boast an impressively refurbished clubhouse which, being run by accomplished defender Ben White, they hope to make available for functions.

Bexhill will begin informal, ball-orientated training from Wednesday May 28 before starting the more serious pre-season sessions on Tuesday June 24.