On Saturday we entertain Bashley FC in a game that could be the last ever first-team game at the HP Arena. We still have to face league leaders Alresford Town next Saturday however if bad weather prevailed tomorrow could be the last game at senior level whilst our young teams will continue to play on the site until September.
The club has been at The old “Pirelli Ground” for some 10 years and enjoyed great success during this time having originally been moved from their old AC Delco / Stoneham Lane ground quite quickly. Eastleigh Borough Council were kind enough to move the club onto our current site which had not been used for some 12-15 years. The club will always be in debt to great club men like Wayne Simpson, Adam Pullinger and Geoff Smith who not only made the move to our current ground possible but also undertook all of the work required to get the facilities and pitch up to the required standard to play county league football.
In the last 5 years, the club has grown from some 12 teams to today’s 41 teams and progressed from the Hampshire County League to the Wessex Premier League. Whilst at the HP Arena the club has appeared in various cup finals, three times at St Mary’s, and developed our youth set up immeasurably to become one of the largest and most successful clubs in the South of England.
The HP Arena has allowed the club to install floodlights, play in the FA Cup, run summer youth tournaments, develop female football, provide training and match venues for all of our teams and much much more!
Whilst the move to our new £10m home is fantastic, exciting and a wonderful opportunity for our club to progress further we will never forget the part the HP Arena played in our clubs continuation and wonderful history. The memories will live forever and the old site will never be forgotten.