Documentary on rise and fall of St Leonards

The Saints enjoyed a rapid rise from playing in the East Sussex Football League at Pannel Lane, Pett, to the Dr Martens League Premier Division at The Firs before going into decline and folding in 2004.

Billy played for the youth team at St Leonards and says he will never forget going up to The Firs with his mates to watch the front side on Saturday afternoons or midweek games under floodlights. He says it had a massive impact on him and felt like a place of belonging.

"After a catch up with some old friends who all played for the youth set-up, it just got me thinking more deeply about what really happened and how the story was such an interesting one," said Billy.

"This summer I took a chance visit up to the old ground as I hadn’t seen the site since 2003 and what I saw was heartbreaking, seeing what was left felt like a real injustice and has inspired me to try and piece the story together to share.

"I think the documentary will be something the fans of the former club can cherish, something the local community can enjoy and I hope it shines a light on how great the story was of this little club, but also be a warning of the pitfalls found in non-league football."

The documentary will go into production in October and Billy hopes to screen the final edit for free locally by Christmas.

He added: "We are now speaking to all we want to be involved and arranging the filming dates to make sure we can fit as many key members of the club from start to finish."

If you were part of St Leonards, or Stamco as the club was previously known, and would like to contribute, please reach out to [email protected]

While not born in Hastings, Billy grew up in the area and considers himself a local.

Having been responsible for launching the careers of music artists such as Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk and N-Dubz, Billy has now launched his own agency, Creative Control.

The company's head office is in Hastings, and it represents some of the biggest acts in music, including RUN DMC, Wiley, Christina Milian, The Game and Section Boyz. While music artists dominate the agency, the company is now expanding into film/TV.

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