Winchester Castle F.C. Explained

Clubname:Winchester Castle F.C.
Nickname:The Castle
Ground:Chilcomb, HCC Sports Ground
Capacity:1,000
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Fullname:Winchester Castle Football Club
Founded:1952 (reformed 2006)
Dissolved:2023
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Winchester Castle F.C. were a long running English amateur football team based in Winchester. They played in the Hampshire League for over 50 years before their untimely demise.

History

The club were first formed in 1952 as Castle FC [1] and were the 'sports arm' of Hampshire County Council. They originally played in the Winchester & District League before becoming founder members of the North Hants League in 1968, which they won in 1970/71.

Upon entry to Division Four of the Hampshire League for the start of the 1971/72 campaign, the club became known as Winchester Castle and won promotion in their first season after finishing third.[2]

They then remained a steady Division Three side for a number of years, during which time they won the Hampshire Intermediate Cup in 1976/77 after defeating Southampton University in the final. The 1983/84 campaign was a memorable one when they finally gained promotion as champions.[3]

The club then consolidated in Division Two before being promoted to Division One in 1986, after many of the top teams left to join the newly formed Wessex League.[3] [4] However, after two seasons they finished bottom and were relegated.[3] Further relegation followed at the end of the 1991/92 campaign when the club finished second from bottom of Division Two.[3] After a spell of re-building, they bounced back up at the end of the 1996/97 campaign after finishing runners-up in Division Three.[5]

In March 2001 it was announced that Winchester Castle would merge with their local rivals Winchester City in an attempt to create one of the most powerful non-league sides in Hampshire.[6] The amalgamated club decided that it would use City's Abbots Barton for the first team, and keep Chilcomb for the reserve and ladies team.[6] At the end of the 2000–01 season Castle finished as runners-up behind City.[5] The clubs then formally merged in June of that year.[6]

Winchester Castle was reformed in 2006, when the 'A' and 'B' teams decided to leave their parent club, to keep playing together as the Hampshire League 2004 did not want reserve teams to feature amongst its members any more.[1] The following season the club became one of the founder members of the Hampshire Premier League. They generally remained a steady mid-table side, but in the summer of 2023 a long career of county league football sadly came to an end when they disbanded after a loss of personnel.

Ground

Winchester Castle played their home games at the Hampshire County Council Sports Ground, A31 Petersfield Road, Chilcomb, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 1HU. .

The venue is accessed off the A31,by a signposted track, which can be easily missed by a first-time visitor. Upon entry there is a large car-park with the pavilion/changing rooms adjacent. There are two well-maintained adult football pitches with the far one being used for 1st Team fixtures. The pitch is surrounded by a fixed barrier and also has home/away dugouts and a small covered enclosure, which as the venue is somewhat exposed to the elements, is much appreciated by spectators. There is also a large grass bank which runs parallel with the length of the far side and as provides an excellent view of both the pitch and the surrounding countryside. It is these facilities that enabled the club to play in the Hampshire Premier League.

The ground remains in use today for grassroots football. There is hope amongst local football followers that one day Castle may re-form again or that another club may take up residence.

Honours

League Career 1971-2023

External links

51.0536°N -1.3019°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Henderson . Ian . Winchester Castle FC – a phoenix rising from the ashes (From Hampshire Chronicle) . . 2006-07-13 . 2013-03-29.
  2. Web site: Hampshire League 1970–1980 . Nonleaguematters.net . 2013-03-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130925105735/http://www.nonleaguematters.net/Aarg3E/Ham70.htm . 2013-09-25 .
  3. Web site: Hampshire League 1980–1992 . Nonleaguematters.net . 2013-03-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130925162018/http://www.nonleaguematters.net/Aarg3E/Ham80.htm . 2013-09-25 .
  4. Web site: Wessex League 1986–2011 . Nonleaguematters.net . 2013-03-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215744/http://www.nonleaguematters.net/Regs1SthA/Wesx86.htm . 2013-10-04 .
  5. Web site: Hampshire League 1992–2004 . Nonleaguematters.net . 2013-03-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135653/http://www.nonleaguematters.net/Aarg3E/Ham92.htm . 2013-09-27 .
  6. Web site: Winchester's top two footballing sides join forces (From Hampshire Chronicle) . Hampshirechronicle.co.uk . 2001-03-06 . 2013-03-29.

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