Ford Sports F.C. (Southampton)

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Ford Sports F.C.
Full nameFord Sports Football Club
Founded1949
Dissolved2001
GroundBriggs Sports Ground, Swaythling, Southampton

Ford Sports were a long-running amateur football club based in Swaythling, a suburb on the edge of Southampton close to Eastleigh.

Contents

History

When Briggs Motors purchased the Southampton plant in 1949, they formed a works football team known as Briggs Social. [1]

The club had their own sports ground adjacent to the factory and enrolled in the Southampton League. With a large workforce, they assembled a strong side and were placed directly into the Senior East Division. They were crowned champions in 1952. [2]

This saw the club promoted to the Hampshire League, where they were placed in Division 3 East, finishing 3rd in 1955. [3]

When the factory was sold to Ford Motors in 1959, the club was renamed Ford Sports and continued to hold their own in the county league until 1971 when they left the competition after the closure of their sports ground was announced. [4]

This saw Fords disband their first team, but they continued playing in the Southampton League - maintaining the status of their Reserve side. Now playing at Wide Lane Sports Ground, they spent many years alternating between the junior divisions before joining the Eastleigh & District League in 1984.

In 1989 the club returned to the Southampton League and won seven promotions in eight seasons to reach the Premier Division by 1997. [5]

Now playing at Old Netley, on the east side of Southampton, Ford Sports consolidated in the top-flight and soon became regular title contenders. They twice finished runners-up before folding in 2001. The Ford factory has since closed. [6]

Honours

1st Team

2nd Team

Hampshire League Career

Ground

The Swaythling plant was originally opened in 1938 and Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft took over the site the following year following the outbreak of World War II. Recognised as an important part of the British war effort, it was bombed on a number of occasions by the German Luftwaffe, most notably in September 1940 with the loss of 50 lives. [9]

The 44 acre site included a privately owned sports ground, originally used by the Cunliffe-Owen works side. Due to huge losses in the Post-War civil aviation market, it was agreed in 1947 to dissolve the firm. Briggs Motor Bodies bought the factory two years later and renamed the facility as the Briggs Sports Ground, with their works teams playing there for many years. The venue was occasionally leased to other clubs such as Eastleigh Athletic and was a popular choice with the Southampton Football Association for staging it's Junior Cup finals.

The ground closed in 1972 when the factory was extended. After this, Ford Sports played at the near by Wide Lane Sports Ground before relocating to Pond Lane, Old Netley in Southampton.

Local rivalries

With there being so many teams in the area, Fords Sports had many local rivals. These mostly included Swaythling Athletic, Pirelli General, BTC Southampton and Eastleigh Athletic who had a spell ground-sharing.

References

  1. ↑ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909-2022 by Gary Day
  2. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  3. ↑ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  4. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  5. ↑ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  6. ↑ https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10528909.ford-at-swaythling-what-are-your-memories/
  7. ↑ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2017/18
  8. ↑ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  9. ↑ https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25456652.52-lives-lost-cunliffe-owen-bombed-1940/
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