Havant & Waterlooville F.C.

Havant & Waterlooville Football Club are an English football club based in Havant, Hampshire. The club formed in 1998 after a merger between Havant Town and Waterlooville, and are currently members of the Conference South. Nicknamed The Hawks, they play at West Leigh Park.

History

Havant Town

Havant Town F.C. were formed in 1883, and played in the Portsmouth Football League. A notable player in the 1950s was Bobby Tambling, a forward who subsequently played for Chelsea and England. In 1969 the club merged with Leigh Park F.C., a Sunday League club founded in 1958 who were the FA Sunday Cup holders, and the name was changed to Havant & Leigh Park. The merged club won the Portsmouth League in their first season, and moved into the fourth division of the Hampshire League in 1970. After three promotions, the club played in the first division from 1977. The Front Lawn ground was inadequate for membership of higher leagues, and the club purchased a site which was developed into the ground where Havant & Waterlooville now play. The new ground opened in August 1982, and the club was renamed Havant Town F.C.

After achieving what would prove to be the pre-merger record attendance of 3,500 against Wisbech Town in the quarter-final of the FA Vase, the club became founder members of the Wessex League in 1986, and were runners-up three times before winning the title and promotion to the Southern League in 1991.

Waterlooville F.C.

Waterlooville F.C. formed in 1905...
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