Otterbourne F.C.

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Otterbourne F.C.
Full nameOtterbourne Football Club
Nickname(s)Otters
Founded1962
Dissolved2016
GroundOakwood Park, Otterbourne, Hampshire

Otterbourne F.C. were a long running amateur football club based in Otterbourne, a village near Winchester in Hampshire, England. They ran for 53 years and were long standing members of the Hampshire League before their untimely demise.

Contents

History

Originally based in Eastleigh, the club was founded in 1962 as North End Old Boys. They joined the Southampton League and rapidly climbed up through the junior ranks to reach the Senior section in 1969. Further progress was made and by 1975 had reached the Premier Division, where they soon consolidated. [1]

In 1986, they became known as Otterbourne F.C. after relocating to Oakwood Park in that village. This ambitious move soon paid dividends as they won the title and made a successful application to join the Hampshire League. [2] The 'Otters' remained in Division 2 for thirteen successive seasons and enjoyed several good cup runs – most notably in 1996 when they won both the Hampshire League and Southampton Senior Cups (the final of which was played at The Dell, Southampton). [3]

Otterbourne joined the expanded Wessex League in 2004 [4] when they were placed in the competition's controversial and short lived third tier, but when the division was axed in 2007, they became founder members of the Hampshire Premier League, where they finished runners-up in the inaugural season.

After a spell of mediocrity, their fortunes dramatically took off in 2014 when Richard Luffman was appointed manager. With an influx of vastly experienced players, he transformed them from mid-table also-rans to serious title contenders. [5]

In 2016 they finished-runners-up and won both the Hampshire Intermediate and Andover Open Cups, [6] but were ineligible for promotion after Otterbourne Parish Council had unsurprisingly rejected their application to install floodlights. [7] The ambitious management and players were understandably frustrated by this, so accepted an exciting opportunity to join Alresford Town en masse. [8]

This was the end for Otterbourne, who then suddenly decided to finish on a high note and disband. The farewell match was played on 7th May 2016, an emotional Past v Present fixture, which ironically, attracted a record crowd of over 200. [6]

Honours

1st team

Second Team

Third Team

League career 1986–2016

Ground

Otterbourne F.C. played at Oakwood Park Recreation Ground, Oakwood Avenue, Otterbourne, SO21 2ED.

The venue has a modern pavilion with a licensed bar. The pitch has a permanent fixed barrier along the near side and is still used today – ironically by fierce rivals Colden Common since 2019. [13]

Notable players

During their existence, Otterbourne had many fine players – most notably future Sholing boss Dave Diaper and the ex-Southampton defender Kevin Moore, who played for the club after retiring from the professional game. [14]

Local rivalries

Due to their location between Eastleigh and Winchester, Otterbourne had a number of local rivals; the nearest being Compton, Twyford and most notably Colden Common with whom many an battle was fought over the years. Durley

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. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896–1996 by Norman Gannaway
  4. ↑ "Hants League accept Wessex expansion plans as inevitable". Daily Echo. 20 May 2003.
  5. ↑ "Otterbourne set record with huge 17-0 win". Daily Echo. 18 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Hampshire club folds after 53 years". Daily Echo. 10 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Crying foul over team's ground expansion plan". Daily Echo. 23 May 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  8. ↑ "All change at Alresford Town as Luffman takes the helm". Daily Echo. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Handbook 2017/18
  10. ↑ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2017/18
  11. ↑ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909–2022 by Gary Day
  12. ↑ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  13. ↑ "Colden Common's First Game at Oakwood Park". The Terrace Traveller. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "Kevin Moore | SaintsPlayers.co.uk".
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