A.F.C. Stoneham

A.F.C. Stoneham is a football club based in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England. They are currently members of the Wessex League Premier Division and play at Chestnut Avenue.

AFC Stoneham
Full nameA.F.C. Stoneham
Nickname(s)The Purples
Founded1919
GroundChestnut Avenue, Eastleigh
ChairmanMark Stupple
LeagueWessex League Premier Division
2019–20Wessex League Premier Division (season abandoned)
WebsiteClub website

History

The club was established in 1919 by demobilised soldiers under the name Royal Engineers (Ordnance Survey Office).[1] They joined the Southampton Junior League and were Division B champions in 1920–21.[1] The club were then admitted to the Divisional Section of the Hampshire League. They were runners-up in the division in their first season in the league, after which they were transferred to the East Section as the league was restructured.[2] In 1923 the club merged with a team from the Post Office to form Southampton Civil Service F.C., playing in the West Section for the 1923–24 season, but they were re-established as a separate club for the 1924–25 season and finished as runners-up in the West Section.[2]

League reorganisation in 1928 saw Royal Engineers (OSO) placed in the Divisional Section,[2] before being moved to Division Two the following season amid further reorganisation.[3] In 1929 the club were renamed Ordnance Survey.[1] They finished bottom of Division Two in 1930–31 and left the league at the end of the 1933–34 season,[3] dropping into the Southampton Senior League. In 1960 the club became a Sunday league team, before returning to Saturday football in 1966, joining Division 8 of the Southampton League.[1] However, after several promotions they reached the Premier Division by 1973.[1] They went on to win the Division One title in 1982–83 and 1992–93.[1]

After winning the Premier Division title in 1996–97, Ordnance Survey were promoted to Division Three of the Hampshire League.[4] They were Division Three runners-up in 1998–99, earning promotion to Division One as the league underwent reorganisation.[4] However, they finished second-from-bottom of the division in their first season, and were relegated to Division Two.[4] In 2004 the Hampshire League merged into the Wessex League, with the club becoming members of the new Division Three.[4] Division Three was renamed Division Two in 2006, at the same time as the club were renamed Stoneham,[5] reflecting their new location. After one season under the new name, they adopted their current name,[5] also leaving the Wessex League to become founder members of the Hampshire Premier League.

Stoneham were the Hampshire Premier League's inaugural champions.[6] They won the League Cup in 2009–10,[7] and winning the League Cup again in 2014–15, the club were promoted to Division One of the Wessex League. In 2018–19 they were Division One champions, earning promotion to the Premier Division.

Ground

In 1923 the club moved to the Civil Service Ground in the Shirley area of Southampton, which was shared with Southampton Civil Service and then QK Southampton.[1] The ground was closed in 1999, after which the club played at Lordshill Recreation Ground until moving to Stoneham Park on the outskirts of Eastleigh in 2002.[1] In 2010 the club relocated again, moving to Chestnut Avenue, the former home of the defunct Pirelli General club.

Honours
  • Wessex League
    • Division One champions 2018–19
  • Hampshire Premier League
    • Champions 2007–08
    • League Cup winners 2009–10, 2014–15
  • Southampton Senior League
    • Premier Division champions 1996–97
    • Division One champions 1982–83, 1992–93
  • Southampton Junior League
    • Division B champions 1920–21
  • Southampton Senior Cup
    • Winners 2011–12, 2012–13[7]
  • Southampton Junior B Cup
    • Winners 1936–37[1]

Records
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References
  1. History A.F.C. Stoneham
  2. Hampshire League 1919–1929 Non-League Matters
  3. Hampshire League 1929–1939 Non-League Matters
  4. Ordnance Survey at the Football Club History Database
  5. Stoneham at the Football Club History Database
  6. AFC Stoneham at the Football Club History Database
  7. Honours Archived 2017-07-31 at the Wayback Machine A.F.C. Stoneham

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