Sholing Sports F.C.

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Sholing Sports F.C.
Sholing Sports F.C.jpg
Full nameSholing Sports Football Club
Founded1901 (as Sholing Athletic)
Dissolved1994
GroundBirch Lawn,
Sholing, Southampton
Capacity1,500

Sholing Sports F.C. were a football team based in Sholing, Southampton from 1901 until 1993 .

Contents

They were members of the Wessex League until folding after losing their ground.

History

The club were founded in 1901 as Sholing Athletic and spent their early days playing friendly fixtures [1] until 1908, when they became founder members of the Southampton League. [2]

In 1919–20 Sholing won the Senior League title and the first of three successive Southampton Senior Cups. [3] This saw them step up into the Hampshire League where they won the East Division title. Playing in the County Division (later to become Division 1), Sholing settled and after finishing 6th and 5th they won the Hampshire Senior Cup but after two tough seasons the club finished bottom and returned to the Southampton League. [4]

Now known as simply Sholing the late Thirties were particularly successful times - in 1937–38 they were Senior League champions and Hampshire Intermediate Cup winners, the following season saw them retain the title and win the Southampton Senior Cup. [5]

After World War II the club became known as Sholing Sports and returned to the Hampshire League in 1946 when they were placed in Division 3 East. [6] Back in county football and shortly after moving to their Birch Lawn home, Sholing won promotion as champions in 1952–53 before consolidating themselves in Division 2. Sholing were promoted to Division 1 in 1961-62 but struggled and dropped straight back down again, and were relegated back to Division 3 in 1964–65.

In 1969-70 Sholing Sports were Division 3 East champions and in 1971–72 they finished runners-up in Division 2, winning promotion back to the top flight - and this time they were far better prepared. Sholing became one of the top clubs in the league and began entering the national competitions, the FA Cup [7] and FA Vase. They enjoyed several runs in the latter competition. In 1973–74 Sholing won their first Division 1 title as well as the Hampshire Senior Cup.

The club remained regular title contenders, finishing runners-up three times before the incredible 1982–83 season when they were League champions - and they completed a treble by also winning the Hampshire Senior and Russell Cotes Cup's. [8] The following season saw Sholing retain the league title, but were beaten finalists in the Hampshire Senior Cup. In 1984–85, Sholing were league runners-up and Hampshire Senior Cup finalists, but did gain some compensation when they again won the Russell Cotes Cup. [9]

For the 1986-87 campaign Sholing Sports became founder members of the newly formed Wessex League, [10] and enjoyed a debut season in which they finished 9th. [11] However, in that season's cup competitionsthey reached the finals of the Southampton Senior, Russell Cotes and the inaugural Wessex League Cup - but lost all three. The early 1990s saw increasing uncertainty over their Birch Lawn ground, caused mainly by financial problems at the adjacent Social Club. [12]

Sholing Sports continued on until August 1993 when they were evicted from their ground prior to the start of the new season and this forced them to withdraw from the competition. [13] The club continued to operate during the 1993–94 season with just an Under 18's side playing in the Hampshire Youth League but the search for a new home ground was unsuccessful and they folded. [14]

Honours

Playing records

League

FA Cup

FA Vase

Successor clubs

The club name was revived in 2005 by some locals and the new Sholing Sports joined the Southampton League. There was some initial success, but the venture was short-lived and in 2011 they disbanded. [19]

In 2010, local rivals Vosper Thornycroft changed their name to Sholing FC, but they are not connected in any way. [20]

Ground

Sholing Sports played at Birch Lawn, North East Road, Sholing, Southampton which was sold for housing development after their eviction. [21] The ground was fully enclosed with a large stand, covered terrace, floodlights and adjacent to the club house. The record attendance was 800 for the 1983 FA Cup meeting with Gosport Borough. [22]

Notable players

In the early twenties two Sholing Sports players moved on to professional clubs; Tom Parker [23] who progressed on to Southampton and the Arsenal team of the thirties and also Sammy Meston, [24] who played for Southampton, Gillingham and Everton. Locally born Graham Roberts briefly played in the mid-seventies as a teenager before enjoying a lengthy professional career with Tottenham Hotspur, Glasgow Rangers and Chelsea. [25]

Sholing Sports also had several former Southampton professionals as player-managers, including Jack Gregory, [26] Tommy Hare [27] and Mick Earls. [28]

Local rivals

With there being so many clubs based on the east side of Southampton, Sholing Sports had a number local rivals - most notably Bitterne Nomads, Vosper Thornycroft, Mullard Sports and especially Netley Central Sports who they frequently met whilst in the Hampshire League. Later years saw a rivalry develop with Folland Sports whilst playing in the Wessex League. [29]

Print

References

  1. ↑ Association Football in Hampshire until 1914 by Norman Gannaway
  2. ↑ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  3. ↑ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909-2022 by Gary Day
  4. ↑ Bitterne Football A Gimpse at the Past by Ken Prior
  5. ↑ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  6. ↑ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  7. ↑ The FA Cup Club by Club Record Since 1945 by Tony Williams
  8. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  9. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  10. ↑ "History". www.wessexleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  11. ↑ https://www.fchd.info/lghist/wessex1987.htm
  12. ↑ Sholing Sports Football Club History by Neil Cotton
  13. ↑ https://fchd.info/lghist/wessex1994.htm
  14. ↑ Gone But Not Forgotten (Part 5), by Dave Twydell, ISBN 1-874427-01-1
  15. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Sholing Sports". fchd.info. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  16. ↑ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  17. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Yearbook 2005/06
  18. ↑ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2017/18
  19. ↑ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2011/12
  20. ↑ https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/15568792.photos-134-years-of-woolston-works-football-team/
  21. ↑ The Cemetery End by Vince Taylor (Groundtastic Productions)
  22. ↑ Non-League Club Directory 1991 by Tony Williams
  23. ↑ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/tom-parker/
  24. ↑ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/sam-meston/
  25. ↑ In That Number, A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC by Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk, P614
  26. ↑ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/jack-gregory/
  27. ↑ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/tommy-hare/
  28. ↑ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/mick-earls/
  29. ↑ https://www.fchd.info/lghist/wessex1988.htm
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