Ludgershall Sports F.C.

Last updated
Ludgershall Sports F.C.
Full nameLudgershall Sports Football Club
Founded1900
Dissolved2024
GroundAstor Crescent
Capacity1,000

Ludgershall Sports F.C. were a long running amateur football club based in Ludgershall, a small town located between Andover and Salisbury on the county border between Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Contents

The club ran for 124 years and due to their location had sustained spells playing in both the Hampshire and Wiltshire Leagues.

History

Ludgershall F.C. were founded in 1900, and initially played friendly fixtures in their formative years. [1]

After World War I, they merged with another locally based team and joined the Salisbury & District League, where they enjoyed plenty of success. The thirties saw the club move to it's present day home at Astor Crescent and become an affiliated section of the adjacent Sports & Social Club, adding Sports to their name to reflect this. [2]

The post-war era saw Ludgershall return to the Salisbury League, before having spells alternating between the Wiltshire League, the North Hants League and Andover & District League. [3]

The early nineties saw the club's fortunes take off. In 1992 they were Andover League champions and promoted back to the North Hants League, which they won at the first attempt. These successes saw them elected to the Hampshire League where they immediately won the Division 3 title. [4] However, Division 2 proved to be much harder and after a series of lower mid-table final placings they re-signed after a poor start to the 1997-98 campaign.

Ludgershall retained their Reserves' position in the Andover League and began to rebuild - again winning successive promotions back the Hampshire League in 2002. [5] Two years later the competition was absorbed by the expanding Wessex League, [6] and Ludgershall joined the short-lived third division. However, the step up proved too much and unable to meet the stricter ground criteria, they joined the Hampshire League 2004 where they remained until 2009.

After a brief successful spell back in the Andover League, Ludgershall moved to the Wiltshire League in 2010. In their first season, they finished runners-up in Division 1 and reached the Junior League Cup final, which they lost 0-3 to Intel. They consolidated their position in the Premier Division, and in 2015 they finished fourth (their highest final position) and reached the Senior League Cup final, which they lost 0-3 to Melksham Town Reserves. [7]

The club were relegated in 2024 and disbanded, although supporters hope to re-form sometime in the future. [8]

Honours

County League career

Ground

Ludgershall Sports played at Astor Crescent, Tidworth Road, Ludgershall, Wiltshire, SP11 9QE. The pitch is enclosed with a fixed barrier with a large pavilion. The ground is adjacent to the Ludgershall Sports & Social Club and remains in use.

Local rivalries

Ludgershall Sports had a number of local rivals including Andover New Street, Andover Town and Tidworth.

References

  1. ↑ Association Football in Hampshire until 1914 by Norman Gannaway
  2. ↑ https://www.ludgershall-sports.com/events
  3. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Centenary 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  4. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  5. ↑ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  6. ↑ "Hants League accept Wessex expansion plans as inevitable". 20 May 2003.
  7. ↑ https://www.wiltshireseniorleague.co.uk/senior-kp-cup-honours
  8. ↑ https://www.localgymsandfitness.com/GB/Unknown/1212037165639334/Ludgershall-Sports-FC
  9. ↑ https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/sport/5079176.cup-final-awaits-ludgershall/
  10. ↑ https://www.fchd.info/lghist/andov.htm
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