There can be no doubt that archery was practised in Bognor in the nineteenth century because in a plan of the town in 'The Visitors Guide To Bognor', printed in 1859, there is a 'Cricket and Archery Ground' shown; however, there are no known records of any archery society in Bognor at that time so it is not known whether such a society existed then.
It was not until the revival of interest in the sport of archery following the Second World War that an archery club was definitely formed in Bognor Regis. The Bognor Regis Archery Society came into being in 1947, and it's initial membership featured some well known people in the sport at that time.
The society prospered over the next twenty years, but towards the end of the 1960's, with a dwindling membership and escalating costs it struggled to survive: The society finally closed in 1972.
A new club was formed in 1985, and formally came into being on 1st May of that year. Its first ground was at the Bognor Regis Town Football Club in Nyewood Lane, which helped to give the Club a good start. Continuity with the previous society was maintained as one of its former members, Bill Kimbell, was one of the founder members of the new Club. The Club grew quickly and soon required more space for shooting, moving to its present location on the Felpham Community College playing fields in 1991.
