The firebug torched the wooden building at the club's Nyewood Lane to leave the club with a massive financial gap for the new season. The club generates up to one-third of the football club's income each year.

The loss of those thousands of pounds for perhaps the whole season so soon after the football club was only kept going in the summer by a £150,000 injection from supporters is a major blow.

But general manager Jack Pearce has urged Bognor's residents to rally round and help the area's leading football club.

He admitted to being heartbroken by the fire, which he called 'a major body blow'. However, he said the club would have to display its usual charateristic of being strong in adversity.

Confirmation that the fire was deliberately started came from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

A spokesman said: "Our fire investigations dog, Hattie, is trained to sniff out the use of accelerants – such as petrol or white spirit. She indicated quite strongly they had been used at the clubhouse.

"From now on, it becomes a police matter to speak to any witnesses and look at the background to the fire.

"All we can do as a fire and rescue service is to wish the football club the best as they try to recover from the fire ."

Hattie was taken to the football ground last Friday morning soon after the area had been made safe by firefighters.

A Sussex Police scenes of crime team was also present. It took the fire crews an hour and 40 minutes to put out the flames and dampen down the ruined building.

They stayed at the scene until about 9.30am.