History
Durley F.C. were founded circa 1909 and initially played friendly fixtures before the outbreak of World War I forced them to disband. In 1919 they reformed and enrolled in the Meon Valley League, which they won four times during the thirties.
After World War II, the club joined the Eastleigh & District League, before moving on to the Southampton League. Here they climbed the Junior divisions, reaching the Senior section 1966 only to be relegated straight back again. After a spell in the doldrums, the club bounced back in 1974 when they won the Junior Division 4 title. [1]
The late eighties saw an upturn in fortunes as Durley won four promotions in seven seasons to reach the Premier Division for the first time in 1993. They were then relegated straight back, but returned a year later and solidified their status in the top-flight. [2]
In 2003, Durley made a successful application to join the Hampshire League [3] and finished 10th in Division 2. [4] However, the competition was then absorbed by the expanding Wessex League, [5] and unable to meet the stricter ground criteria, Durley instead became founder members of the Hampshire League 2004. [6]
Durley became regular title contenders and after several near misses, they finally won the title in 2012. [7] [8] [9] A year later, the competition became Division 1 of the Hampshire Premier League, but by this point the team had broken up and after finishing bottom, they were relegated.
Durley celebrated their centenary in 2019 and continue to operate in the Southampton League, forming a Veterans side in 2022.
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