Fleet Town Football Club is a semi-professional
football club based in
Fleet
Fleet may refer to:
Vehicles
*Fishing fleet
*Naval fleet
*Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles
*Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company
Places
Canada
* Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet
England
* The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The club are currently members of the and play at Calthorpe Park.
History
The club was established in 1890 under the name Fleet Football Club.
[History of Fleet Town Football Club]
FleetHants With two Saturday teams, they played in both the
Aldershot Senior League and the
Basingstoke & District League.
[ In 1961 the club joined Division Three of the ]Hampshire League
The Hampshire League was a football league in Hampshire, England. During its heyday its constitution consisted of four divisions with over 60 clubs taking part - this included a vast number of semi-professional teams and Reserve/’A’ sides of ...
.[Hampshire League 1960–1970]
Non-League Matters Although they won the division in their first season in the league, earning promotion to Division Two, the following season saw them relegated back to Division Three.[ In 1963 the club adopted its current name,][ and a third-place finish in 1963–64 saw the club promoted back to Division Two at the first attempt.][
In 1965–66 Fleet were Division Two champions, earning promotion to Division One.][ The following season saw the club make its debut in the ]FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, reaching the second qualifying round, before losing 3–0 to Horsham. They were Division One runners-up in 1972–73, but after finishing bottom of Division One in 1975–76, they were relegated to Division Two.[Hampshire League 1970–1980]
Non-League Matters The club were Division Two runners-up in 1977–78,[ after which they joined the ]Athenian League
The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football Museum, Preston). but this nam ...
.[ However, due to difficulties meeting the ground grading regulations, the club dropped into the ]Combined Counties League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...
in 1984.[ After finishing bottom of the league for two consecutive seasons,][ they dropped into the Surrey Premier League for the 1986–87 season, which also saw them finish bottom of the table.
Fleet then joined the Premier Division of the ]Chiltonian League
The Chiltonian League was an English football league, existing from 1984 until its merger with the Hellenic League in 2000. While never having a defined place in the English football league system, successful clubs moved from the Chiltonian Leagu ...
in 1987. After two seasons in the Chiltonian League, they moved up to the Wessex League
The Wessex Football League is an English association football league formed in 1986, with its premier division currently at the fifth step of the National League System, or the ninth tier of the overall English football league system. The part ...
.[ The club won the league in 1994–95 and were promoted to the Southern Division of the Southern League. They won the Russell Cotes Cup in 1997–98.][Hampshire Cups]
Football Club History Database After being transferred to the Eastern Division in 1999, they finished bottom of the division in 1999–2000 and were relegated back to the Wessex League.[ In 2000–01 the club were Wessex League runners-up and were promoted back to the Eastern Division of the Southern League. The following season saw them win the Russell Cotes Cup again.][ After finishing bottom of the Eastern Division in 2003–04, they were saved from relegation due to restructuring of the non-League pyramid and were transferred to Division One of the Isthmian League.][ League restructuring in 2006 saw them placed in Division One South.
In 2006–07 Fleet finished fifth in the division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, they were beaten 2–1 by Tooting & Mitcham United in the semi-finals. The season also saw them win the Russell Cotes Cup for a third time, a trophy they retained in the two following seasons.][ They were transferred to Division One South & West of the Southern League for the 2007–08 season. The club went on to finish as runners-up in the division, but lost 2–1 to ]Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...
in the play-off semi-finals. They were subsequently moved back to Division One South of the Isthmian League for the 2008–09 season.
A third-place finish by Fleet in 2008–09 resulted in another play-off campaign, in which they lost 1–0 to Metropolitan Police in the semi-finals. The season also saw them win the Hampshire Senior Cup
The Hampshire Senior Cup is a cup competition open to football teams affiliated with the Hampshire Football Association. The competition was founded in 1887 and has been contested every year since, with the exception of 1914 to 1919 when it was p ...
with a 1–0 win over VT in the final.[ In 2011 the club were transferred to Division One Central of the Southern League. In 2011–12 they finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved after Bedfont Town resigned from the league.Fleet Town 'delighted' with relegation reprieve]
Get Hampshire, 30 May 2012 In 2013 they were moved to Division One South & West, and finished in the relegation zone in 2013–14, receiving another reprieve from relegation. They were transferred back to Division One Central in 2015.[ At the end of the 2017–18 season the club were transferred to Division One South. They finished bottom of the division in 2018–19 and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Wessex League. Following the 2020–21 season the club were transferred to the Premier Division South of the Combined Counties League.
]
Ground
The club initially played at the Views (now Campbells Close), before moving to Watsons Meadow.[ In 1923 the club were granted the use of a site on Crookham Road by Lord Calthorpe,][ with the ground becoming known as Calthorpe Park. The first match at the new ground was played on 3 March 1923.][ The ground currently has a capacity of 2,000, of which 250 is seated and covered.][
]
Honours
*Wessex League
**Champions 1994–95
*Hampshire League
**Division Two champions 1965–66
**Division Three champions 1961–62
*Hampshire Senior Cup
**Winners 2008–09
*Russell Cotes Cup
**Winners 1997–98, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
*North Hants FA Cup
**Winners 2008–09, 2009–10
*Basingstoke Senior Cup
**Winners 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10[
*Aldershot Senior Cup
**Winners 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10][
**Runners Up (5): 1996–97, 1998–99 2000–01, 2002–03, 2010–11
*Southern Counties Midweek Floodlit Cup
**Winners 1994–95, 2001–02
*Simpsonair Challenge Shield
**Winners 1991–93, 1993–94
]
Records
*Best FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
performance: Third qualifying round, 2007–08, 2008–09[
*Best FA Trophy performance: First round, 1998–99, 1999–00][
*Best FA Vase performance: Second round, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1979–80][
*Biggest victory: 15–0 vs Petersfield United, Wessex League, 26 December 1994][
*Heaviest defeat: 7–0 vs Bashley, Southern League Eastern Division, 12 April 2004][
*Record Attendance: 1,336 vs AFC Wimbledon, Isthmian League Division One, 8 January 2005][
*Most appearances: Mark Frampton, 428][
*Most goals: Mark Frampton, 250][
*Record transfer fee paid: £3,000 to ]Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
for Mark Russell[
]
See also
*Fleet Town F.C. players
Fleet may refer to:
Vehicles
* Fishing fleet
* Naval fleet
*Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles
* Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company
Places
Canada
* Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet
England
* The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Be ...
* Fleet Town F.C. managers
References
External links
Official website
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Football clubs in England
Football clubs in Hampshire
Association football clubs established in 1890
1890 establishments in England
Aldershot & District Football League
Basingstoke and District Football League
Hampshire League
Athenian League
Combined Counties Football League
Surrey County Senior League
Chiltonian League
Wessex Football League
Southern Football League clubs
Isthmian League
Fleet, Hart