}} The Saffrons is home to
Eastbourne Town F.C., who play in the
Isthmian League South East Division and who have played football here since 1886, when the then Devonshire Park Football Club moved grounds from their former namesake (now the venue for the
Eastbourne International tennis tournament). Devonshire Park Football Club changed their name to Eastbourne in 1889 and the 'Town' suffix was added in 1971.
Eastbourne Town Women also play their home games here. The Larkins Field End, where the clubhouse stands, was originally a wooden grandstand structure, built in the 1930s when attendances at the town club were increasing. The Town Hall side, now known as the East Terrace was asphalted at the same time. The wooden grandstand was destroyed by an arson attack in 1969. The stand was rebuilt but lost its roof in the 1987 hurricane. The current stand today, known as the Taffy Jones/Sid Mayall stand was built in 1994, 25 years after the original grandstand was destroyed. In 1946, the pitch was moved closer to the cricket ground to lay foundations for the East Terrace, which still remains today. The Meads Road side of the terrace had the covered stand built in 1962. There are wooden benches in this stand. Floodlights were installed in 1994 and during the 1990s a clubhouse, new dressing rooms and a tea bar have been built behind the stand. The West Terrace, where the team dugouts are situated once had a movable fence depending on when either the football or the cricket was playing. In recent years the cricket green was moved slightly away to allow a permanent fence and asphalt laid for spectators to stand. The main turnsite was originally built in 1914 and was destroyed by a fire in February 2004 but restored before the new season started. The ground plays host to many county cup finals at youth and intermediate level. The capacity of the football ground is 3,000, with seating for 200 spectators.
Stands •
The Sid Myall & Taffy Jones Stand previously known as the Larkins Field End, has seating for 200 spectators, also the tea bar, hot food hut and toilets. The players changing rooms are also in this stand. •
East Terrace is an open air terrace running for two thirds of the pitch, the other first has a covered terrace, previously sponsored and named the Hopkins Estate agents stand. •
Meads Road End sometimes known as the Bell End due to the close proximity of the Town Hall clock tower, is an open air terrace with a temporary stand borrowed from the cricket pitch for seating. •
West Terrace is an open air stand. The team dugouts are situated along this stand.
Other uses As well as being home to
Eastbourne Town, the ground has been used as training ground for the
England National Football Team in May 1954. And between 1955 and 1957,
Manchester City visited
Eastbourne and trained at The Saffrons in preparation for the
FA Cup finals against
Newcastle United (1955) and
Birmingham City (1956). The Saffrons has hosted both amateur and county football events: •
Amateur Football Alliance Senior Cup : 1909–1910, 1937–38 •
Corinthian League Challenge Shield : 1951–52 •
Sussex Senior Challenge Cup : 1935–36
Records The highest attendance to date was 7,378, in a FA Cup qualifying game against
Hastings United on 10 October 1953. ==Cricket==