Hedge End Rangers F.C.

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Hedge End Rangers F.C.
Full nameHedge End Rangers Football Club
Founded1910 (reformed 2005)
GroundDeer Park School
Capacity430
ChairmanTim Lush
ManagerRyan Manship
League Hampshire Premier League
Website https://www.hedgeendrangers.co.uk/

Hedge End Rangers F.C. are an amateur football club based in Hedge End, Hampshire, England, originally founded in 1910.

Contents

They are affiliated to the Hampshire Football Association and as an FA Charter Standard Community football club run 46 teams comprising mini soccer, youth soccer, senior and girls. In addition Hedge End Rangers are a community club serving the community with separate boys and girls' soccer schools, a goalkeeping school, walking football and ladies social football. The Men's First Team are members of the Hampshire Premier League.

History

The club in its current format dates back to 2005, an expanded reformation to ensure the long running continuity of Saturday football in the town.

Original club

Hedge End F.C. was formed circa 1910 and spent many years playing in the Southampton League. They originally played at Greta Park in the town centre and after gradually climbing up the ranks, in 1966 they won the Senior Division 1 title. Apart from the 1984/85 season, they spent the next 25 years playing in the Premier Division. [1]

After moving to the newly opened Norman Rodaway Centre they won their second top-flight title and promotion to the Hampshire League in 1991, [2] where they were placed in the newly reformed Division 3, which they won in 1993. [3]

In the 1993/94 campaign they finished third in Division 2 (their highest final position) and won the Hampshire Intermediate Cup. [4]

Hedge End remained at this level until relegation in 1997. After winning promotion in 2003, the club were hit by a player exodus and withdrew from the competition early the following season. [5]

Phoenix club

Efforts were made to reform, and after linking up with Hedge End Rangers (a junior club, founded in 1974), they returned in 2005 as their senior section, amending their name to show the connection. [6]

They re-joined the Southampton League and climbed back up the ranks. In 2008 they joined the Hampshire League 2004 [7] and finished runners-up in their debut season. After winning the title in 2011, they made sufficient ground improvements to join the Hampshire Premier League where they initially did well.

In 2014 they reached the Southampton Senior Cup final at St Mary's Stadium, but were beaten 0-5 by Sholing. [8]

After this their fortunes gradually declined. In 2018 they finished at the bottom of the table and were relegated to Division 1, where after another difficult season they withdrew from the competition.

After a spell of rebuilding back in the Southampton League, in 2023 Hedge End Rangers finished as runners-up in the Premier Division and won the Senior League Cup after a 4-0 win over Braishfield at AFC Totton. [9]

Now playing at a new facility at Deer Park School, the club were re-elected to Hampshire Premier League [10] for what was their third spell of county soccer. Here, they won promotion from Division 1 as runners-up.

Honours

1st Team

2nd Team

Veterans

Home ground

The Hedge End Rangers boys and girls youth teams play their home matches at Deer Park School, Sika Avenue, Botley, Southampton, SO30 2HT. This new facility has large parking with a number of pitches. Up until the end of the 2024–25 season, the Men's First Team played on the stadium pitch which boasts an all-weather 4G pitch with one with fixed barrier, fifty seater stand and floodlights. The record attendance was in July 2025 when a crowd of 430 were present for a charity fundraiser against The Saints Legends, an Ex-Southampton XI. [15] From the 2025–26 season the Men's First Team will play their home matches at Sholing's ground.

The club's former homes at Greta Park and the Norman Rodaway Centre both remain in use, the latter of which is now used by local rivals Hedge End Town.

Local rivalries

Botley Village and Hedge End Town are regarded as the main local rivals. [16]

Notable players

In the Seventies, Hedge End were managed by the former Southampton and Colchester United striker Augie Scott. [17]

More recently, both Andrew Surman [18] and Brett Williams played for Hedge End Rangers Youth before turning professional.

Hampshire League career

References

  1. ↑ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  2. ↑ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  3. ↑ "Hampshire League 1992-2004". www.nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  4. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway page 70
  5. ↑ https://fchd.info/lghist//hants2004.htm
  6. ↑ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2005/06
  7. ↑ "Hampshire League 2004 : 2004-2012". www.nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  8. ↑ "Sholing Reserves win the Southampton Senior Cup". Daily Echo. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "CHAMPIONS!!!!!". www.hedgeendrangers.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "WE ARE GOING UP". www.hedgeendrangers.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  11. ↑ https://www.hpfl.co.uk/league-cup-winners
  12. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Yearbook 2005/06
  13. ↑ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909-2022 by Gary Day
  14. ↑ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  15. ↑ "Rickie Lambert and Matt Le Tissier to play at Hedge End charity match". Daily Echo. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  16. ↑ https://hetfc.co.uk/about-us/
  17. ↑ https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/augie-scott/
  18. ↑ "Rangers ready to upset Sholing in cup". Daily Echo. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
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