A Crystal Palace fan? From Sussex? What on earth is the world coming to?

Why someone from somewhere as beautiful as God's own county would actively choose to dirty themselves by pledging their footballing allegiances to a club from the dregs of South London is beyond me, but it did get me thinking.

What ever happened to local pride?

When I was a lad (and yes, I am WELL aware I sound like my granddad) not only were summers longer and Space Raider crisps still only 10p but most people seemed to have a genuine sense of pride in their hometown and county.

From watching your local football team to having immediate reservations about anyone from anywhere as exotic or distant as Kent or Surrey, local pride was part of life.

Not only was your school better than its nearest counterpart, your football team better than their local rivals and your town the best place in the world but thoughts to the contrary would never even enter your head.

Growing up in Horsham my friends and I would meet up every Saturday throughout our teenage years to traipse through town in our best new clothes before standing on the terraces at Horsham FC and cheering on the team - which at the time was packed full of players every bit as big a hero to us as Gary Linekar and Paul Gascoigne.

Within five minutes the chant would go up: "Everywhere we go, people always ask us, who we are, where we come from." How did it end? With a defiant chorus of: "We're Horsham, the mighty mighty Horsham."

If you had asked us then which football team we wanted to play for the answer would have been simple. Horsham FC. Or at a push Brighton.

As Sussex's only professional club it seemed natural for most of us to follow them as well. Horsham at the time were languishing deep in the depths of the Isthmian League and grabbing the occasional game at The Goldstone Ground didn't feel like cheating.

At Horsham we showed our pride in our town. At Brighton we were showing our pride in our county.

Sadly, those days are gone. Walking round the streets of Sussex you are more likely to see a Manchester United or Chelsea shirt than a Horsham, Hastings, Eastbourne or Brighton scarf.

Even watching Horsham against Stevenage earlier this month I was horrified to see the teenager next to me sporting an Arsenal coat.

What does it matter you may ask? Surely it is better that we are less territorial? If a few kids want to wear an Arsenal shirt who is it hurting?

The answer is everyone. When people turn their back on local pride the whole town suffers. When people take a pride in the area they live they are more likely to do something to improve it.

When people take a pride in their town or county it creates an increased sense of community and identity which can be celebrated by everyone.

In an area as deprived as Hastings, where people don't always have a lot to shout about, local pride is vital.

Whether it is pride in the local music and art scene, pride in the town's history or pride in the local football team it can make a big difference and galvanise people are one banner.

So ditch that Chelsea shirt. Burn that Arsenal season ticket and especially bin that Crystal Palace scarf.

Displaying your local pride is becoming a dieing art and one we should all try reviving.

Do you love Hastings? If so, check out our story about the new website called I Heart Hastings, pick up one of their t-shirts and send us photographs of yourself showing just how proud a Hastinger you are.