AFC Stoneham U11 vs AFC Bournemouth U11

As we develop our relationship with professional clubs further, to support our young player’s development, our U11s travelled to AFC Bournemouth today with our U12s playing next week.

Below is today's match report:

AFC Bournemouth Youth Talent Centre vs AFC Stoneham U11’s

Our U11s had the opportunity to take a team down to AFC Bournemouth and play against their youth talent team. We played 4 games of 20 minutes and got stronger as the games went on. Every player put a shift in and played some great football against a very talented team. The 1st game was a reality check as although we knew they would be good we were not sure how good but we soon found out.

We regrouped and 2nd game matched them from start to finish and ending up losing a very close game with goals from Ethan Cripp & Tom Dunn.

3rd game was similar to the 2nd and we matched them again but lost 3–1 with our goal being scored by Ethan Cripp. Going into the last game we had a patched-up team as the intensity of the games took its toll and just managed to get 9 players on the pitch but another superb effort by all the boys who ending losing very narrowly.

I cannot say how proud I am of all the 14 boys who played as they are a huge credit to both AFC Stoneham and their parents with each boy conducting themselves so well and certainly never looked out of place against a very good side.

I would like to thank AFC Bournemouth for this opportunity as it was a great experience for the manager, players and parents alike.

Sunday Update - 2nd May 2021

Under 9 Spitfires

Another great team performance by the under 9 Spitfires. The best way to describe the team is, 8 best mates playing the game they love together.

Another all round solid team performance which consisted of slick passing and movement from all over the pitch. George Forbes riffled one home from 20 yards, Bushy had his magic hat on notching 6, Charlie (fox in the box) chipped in with 2, Adam Smith calmly drove one home from the edge of the box and Freddie Gibbens found the net twice.

Once again MOM was awarded to each player for the outstanding team performance.

Under 9 Panthers

The Under 9 Panthers put in a strong performance today, pushing on through the game all the way to the end. We tried some new tactics which everyone tried their best to take on - massive well done! Each week our passing improves, as does our communication.

A goal today from Henry - cracker! Everyone should be proud of themselves today! POTW was Stephen for his excellent work rate and positivity on the pitch. Well done Panthers!

Under 10 Tigers

Very impressive team-first performance from the boys today. Focusing on our defensively responsibilities and targeting a clean sheet, everybody worked hard and contributed to us achieving that. Multiple goals from Kristof Hollosy and Louis Howard saw us demonstrate how lethal we can be at the other end too, with some superb football being played.

MOTM today was GK Jack Binns who, combined with the efforts from the others players, kept that clean sheet and denied denied Littleton any chance at goal today.

Under 10 Royals

Played a very tough game today against a good team and the boys well and truly matched them all over the pitch.

A fantastic goal from Kieran in our own half, with some good shots from else were unlucky not to go in.

MOTM today was Jack who played a good game up front causing trouble for their defence all game.

Under 11 Panthers

The Under 11 Panthers put in a really powerful performance today, showing some amazing teamwork and resilience. Some phenomenal passages of play, fantastic runs and immense tackles.

A massive improvement each week so a big well done. Goals today from Ethan C (x4). MOTM was Ben for his outstanding contribution today, great passes, runs and composure. Well done lads!

Under 11 Spitfires

U11 Spitfires continued their fantastic form and performance in very hard fought win against Bitterne Terriers winning 2-1.

Great effort displayed by all the boys and worked hard as a team from front to back. Goals scored by Oliver Drew & George Polkinghorne.

POM went to Charlie Maguire for some excellent vision and passing but also solid breaking up the opponents attacks.

Under 13 Wolves

A fairly comfortable performance today. The boys started very strong dominating the game with 2 great goals from Toby holden before a slip of concentration saw the visitor's get a goal back.

Boys had to re focus and get the game back under control, as the boys re grouped we saw another great team performance with Leyton Reed neting his hat trick and finally Toby netted another for his. Very worthy winners with the final score ending 6-2.

Great 3 points and the boys keep grinding out the wins they need and deserve for all their hard work this last year.

MOTM went to Toby Holden, a fantastic performance from him today as his confidence grows and grows.

Well done Wolves!

Under 13 Royals

Tough game for the Royals today. We lost 5-3 with goals from Harry Noel, Daniel Wrycraft and Ollie Brading.

We played some really good team football in spite of how the team were playing against us but their attack proved too much in the end. We had some players playing outside of their normal positions and everyone put in a great shift.

Player of the Match was Rex Downie for his outstanding performance in goal.

Under 13 Panthers

U13 Panthers eased past Oakwood saints with a 7-1 victory. The boys did start slowly and conceded first, but quickly hit back with two superb goals from Brad Chirima. The boys didn’t let up and scored three more before half time.

The second half allowed for rotations of positions and the boys put together some excellent passages of play, eventually adding two more goals, with the game finishing 7-1.

Goal scorers were Brad Chirima (x2), Will Hosmer (x2), Kunashe Musonza, Sam Marcade and Jim Gibbons. Brad was voted man of the match for the second weekend running.

Under 14 Spitfires

U14 Spitfires got back to winning ways after a couple of below par performances beating Wyvern Wolves 7-2.

The attitude and determination by every single player today was evident in a very physical game but the boys kept their heads and got on with playing our football and got the result they deserved!

Goals scored by Taylor Waters (4), Harry Cull (2) in only his second game for us and Jack Polkinghorne (1). POM went to Harry Cull who was excellent and took his goals well.

Under 14 United

Under 14s United took on a very resilient Oakwood side today knowing if they win they will be crowned div 2 champions with two games to spare.

With the boys wanting to keep there unbeaten run going and taking the crown they ran out 5-1 winners with goals coming from Stan p, Frazer m and a hatrick from George s. A superb performance again today as they have all season up the purps!

Under 15 Hawks

U15 Hawks won 5-2 away at Oakwood. Goals from Charlie Hawes (2), Kyle Podolanski, Tarun Takhar & Ben Cartwright. MotM - Tom Killick.

Under 15 Galaxy

A moral boosting win for Galaxy this afternoon as they ran out 9-0 victors away to Botley village. whilst a clean sheet was most welcome what was more important was the discipline shown as the team maintained their shape.

The goalscorers were: Tom Clarke, Reece Miller, Ollie Lucy and a hatrick each for Keiran Kandiah and Ryan Dennis.

Under 18’s

Won vs Brockenhurst 6-1 with goals from
Gilpin x2, Ngombi, Godfrey, Dummett
and OG. Some unbelievable goals from range.

Saturday Update - 1st May 2021

Under 7 United

We played against a Pace side who have lost one game this season but I have to say every single United player gave there all and played some superb football during the match and worked hard until the final kick of the game.

A goal a piece from Alex and Alfie with some lovely composed finishing. Purp of the match was Alex for good listening, tackling and grabbing a nicely taken goal. The game ended 6-2 to Pace Pumas

Under 7 Panthers

On paper, this should have been our toughest game so far, since we drew with them earlier in the season 4-4. But from the moment the ref blew his whistle, the boys gave everything.

Oliver started like a man possessed all over the pitch and was unlucky not to score in the first 10 secs. James was solid at the back as usual. Lucas pulled off some great saves in goal. Alessandro & Aryan again continued to get stuck in and was both unlucky not to score.

Harry produced some good skill with a run down the line and set up a goal with a great pass, and was also unlucky not to score. Jenson again scored 6 goals, and was all over the pitch with his running and tackling.

But my man of the match was Ollie, even though he is known for shooting and scoring which he did score 2 goals, but what pleased me most today was his defending and tackling. Well done Ollie. It just shows how far we have come from that first match. One very proud manager.



Under 7 Spitfires

Tough game today for the U8 Spitfires against a very strong opponent in Oakwood. The boys worked extremely hard out of possession never giving up and as the game progressed they began to grow and offer more of a threat going forward culminating in winning the final quarter of the game.

Spitfires learned a lot from today’s game and this will make us stronger going forward. Special mention to Brody Hibberd for his Hat-trick but also for his tireless chasing of the opposition and willingness to get into good positions in the final third. For this he was awarded Player of the day.

Under 7 Jaguars

Boys played well today against a very strong Winchester side. Had a few chances which we couldnt take and Winchester made sure they took there's.
Goalscorer: Sam Purchase. POTD: Jesse Egerton for some very good tackles and work rate throughout.

Under 7 Wolves

We knew that this was a tough game and that they play good football. After a slow start and being punished in that moment up stepped a player with a superb attitude and took it upon himself to showcase his talents.

Reggie aka Reginaldo did the magic twice to get ahead in the game. Then Caleb and Harry also followed suit. We then as a team took more control of the game. It was a good footballing game to watch and we were able to see out the game well.

The team should be proud of themselves.
MOM went to 2 players for some outstanding performances. Caleb and Reggie well done!


Under 10 Girls

Today we played a double header (2 games) against Southbrook.

In the first game we lost 1-0 and it was a hard fought battle for both teams end to end throughout.

The second match is when the panthers sprung to life and quickly established a 2-0 lead with Lucy & Erin scoring their first goals for the team. (Both from never giving up as a team) then after the interval Layla drove from midfield all the way to goal taking them on and slotting home the third.

The match finished 3-0 to the panthers who played fantastically as a team but credit to today’s opposition who also played great football making it a thoroughly good game and morning out for all.

Oppositions player the of the match was Meme and Managers player of the match was Lucy. Again, special mention to Southbrook who were great opposition.

Under 11 Girls

Goals today from; Lou (2), Maisy, Freya, Sasha, Olivia and Lacey (2).

Great to see them crosses going in from the wings and they led to a couple of the goals for us. Finished the game really strongly and used the whole pitch really well. Their GK was also having a great game and it could have been a lot more if not for her!

Opposition voted for lou as GOTG. 2 goals, 2 assists and very unlucky not to score the goal if the season, but for a great save onto the post!
Parents voted for freya, goal, assist, played several positions and did well in all of them. Such an intelligent player too!

Coaches voted for luciannie, who was a big reason we didnt and generally dont, concede much. Great positioning, awareness and composure all the time!
We all agreed at the end that it's getting harder each week to choose a GOTG.

They're all giving it their all, all the time and they all deserve huge credit! Big well done to them all!

Easter Sessions

Our fantastic and very popular Easter sessions came to a close today with a visit from "Big Purp the Dinosaur" who decided he was a goalkeeper!

Every session this week has been full and we would like to thank both Luke and Aaron for looking after the children

The club will be holding similar sessions in the summer for children aged 5-11 as follows:

10am - midday on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Week commencing July 26, August 2, 9, 16 and 23.

£3 per session, 10 sessions for £25 or 15 sessions for £35.

We will look to also include girls only groups (if the girls want!) and goalkeeper sessions during the summer within the above dates and lots more!

To book summer sessions please text 07841696579 or e-mail chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk. Numbers will be limited.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this week.

Sunday Update - 11th April 2021

U8 Panthers had an excellent game today, showing that hard work in training really pays off!! A blistering display of attacking football led to goals from Harley S,Ethan, Dexter and Rafferty. A solid performance from start to finish! Joint players of the day were Dexter for some heroics in goal, and Harley S for showing his goalscoring prowess. Well done Panthers.

Under 9 Panthers put in some great effort today, proving that they can be very resilient. An amazing first quarter and two good final quarters proved they have the ability and passion to play some great football. Some phenomenal spells and passages of play throughout! Goals from Henry (x2) and Eddie. POTW was Jamie for his fantastic improvement throughout the game. Well done Panthers!

Under 9 Spitfires continued their good run of play. We started sharply putting pressure on the opposition defence however we found ourselves going behind against the run of play. The boys remained calm and played their slick, flowing football. George Bushell and Charlie found the net 3 times each with Adam adding one. Solid team performance which was hard to single just one out for MOM, but George Bushell just edged it.

U10 Tigers Match Report:

AFC Stoneham U10 Tigers vs St. Francis U10 Rangers

We moved the ball well, dictated the pace, and were threatening every time in possession, creating chance after chance.

Despite our strength in possession we are still rebuilding our match fitness and that was evident today with our decision making and defensive errors creeping in later in the match.

All in all, another great weekend and successful Week 2 of our return to football, as we ramp back up. 5 different goal scorers today and many more chances. A special mention for Vinnie Hamstead who found the back of the net in a well deserved goal.

A classy touch from the St. Francis team and players today, who were full of praise for our team and commenting on how well we played.

U10 Jaguars

A tough game v JAM youth began with us going 1 goal ahead thanks to Daniel who bagged his first goal in purple. The second quarter Jaguars fell apart conceding three goals all within the 2nd quarter. During the last 2 quarters the Jaguars battled hard and should have scored on a few occasions. We managed to get a late goal due to a penalty which made the last 6-7 mins a bit more exciting.

U10 Panthers

had a great display today in a hard fought game this morning. Great battling display to overcome a very physical opposition. Eddie, Ablaye and Finn with the goals today. Joint players of the day were James and Thierno, for some excellent defensive displays. Well done Panthers!

U11 Spitfires

Fantastic performance from U11 Spitfires . Some excellent football played in a faultless performance. All goals were well taken and solid defending when required with some outstanding saves by Miles when needed at crucial times in the game. Goals scored by Harley Marjason 2, Harry Halligan & George Polkinghorne. POM was hard to decide so went to parents to vote and was shared between Harley Marjason & Miles Earnshaw. Really proud of all the boys today.

U11 Panthers

The Under 11 Panthers put in a strong performance against the Sharks this week. Both teams had great spells of play and created countless chances. Some fantastic passing and moving from the Panthers ensured a good performance. Goals from Ethan C (x3) and Ben. MOTM was Ethan C for his huge contribution this week. Well done lads!

U12 Panthers

The boys played well today after a 4 month absence and we came up against a battling Alresford Town side who never gave up.

We came out winners and had very bright spells of play through out the match especially in attack.

We created numerous chances and could have been more despite for some great goalkeeping & the cross bar in the way.

Goal scorers today - Billy 3, Caleb 3, Viktor 2, Arlo 1 & Josh 1.

Everyone contributed to a good overall performance but Mom - went to Luke for a fine performance in defence and his good distribution of the ball.

U13 Knights

U13 Knights first match back saw them narrowly lose 2-3 to unbeaten league leaders Eastleigh Tornadoes.

Having gone 1-0 down Adrian scored a stunning volley to equalise on 27 mins.

In the second half we went down another 2 goals before Elliot scored a penalty on 65 mins.

Joint MOM to Elliot & Oliver for marking the Tornadoes’ Centre Forward.

U13 Royals

U13 Royals won 3-1 today after being 1 nil down at half time. It was a game of two halves and all of the players battled brilliantly to come back and win the game. Harry Noel was player of the match for putting in 100% effort for the whole game and chasing every ball. Goals from Daniel Wycraft, Harry Noel, and Ollie Brading.

U14 Wolves 3 Salisbury White 3

A really decent performance from the group after the long layoff. A tad unlucky today having been 3-1 up not to take all three points against the current league leaders, although this has been a theme this season. Some great individual performances too.

U15 Galaxy

Despite being on top in the second half a late goal from the opposition put paid to a Galaxy comeback in their keenly contested match against Winsor United with the final score being 2-0. Stoneham dominated in terms of possession and played some decent football but just couldn't apply the final touch.

MoM today went to AJ Stitson with an excellent display.

U15 Hawks beat Winchester 5-0 with goals from Oli Spink, Charlie Hawes and a hattrick from motm Kyle Podolanski.

U16 Rovers

AFC Stoneham 3-2 Hamble

Goal scorers:

Oscar Perry

Danny Wise

Callum Ramage

At half time it was 1-1

U18 Panthers

U18 Panthers beat St Francis 2-1

Matt Millmore and Joe Hampton with the goals as the boys improved form continues.

AFC STONEHAM LADIES 5:1

DOWN GRANGE LADIES, first game back for all, a rusty lacklustre first half which saw Stoneham take the lead through A Buckingham on 5 minutes, an equaliser from Down Grange on the 25th minute to send the teams into half time level. With a tactical change at the break saw a much improved second half with four more goals coming from A Buckingham (51, 54) a correction to the 4th goal (81) which was scored by Marie C on the line after Abbie A hit the crossbar from a header and the fifth goal from Madi P (85). The quality second half performance by the ladies sealed the three points/ AFC STONEHAM DEV2:2 WIDBROOK UNITED RES, a tough first game back for our dev team away at league leaders Widbrook United Reserves. The purps found themselves 2 nil down, but showed real determination and character to come back up the M27 with a point with goals from Laura P and Katie S. UP THE PURPS!

Well done to all of our teams today and great to be back playing matches

Saturday Update - 10th April 2021

U7 Spitfires

A much improved performance all round from the Spitfires this week, the level of quality in passing and effort to win the ball back from the opposition had gone up a level from last week. This was helped by a good performance from Cody Walters in goal. On another day, with a bit more luck in front of goal the score line would’ve reflected the performance. Player of the day went to Henry Polkinghorne (pictured) for his quality at both ends of the pitch

U7 AFC Stoneham Jaguars

Boys tried really hard today against a good pace side. Great team effort and they never gave up. Player of the match was Sam Purchase for great work rate and individual performance.

U7 United

A tough match against a good St Francis side with the boys keeping going until the end. Some lovely goals, with good team link up play and passing. Goals scored by Tayo and Archie with a brace each. Purp of the match went to Harry W for a top corner save from a thunderbolt strike and he followed that up by stopping the rebounding going in as well. Everyone who witnessed the save jaws are still probably wide open! It was better than Gordon Banks save all those years ago!

(That might be stretching it ! )

U7 Panthers

I thought everyone played superb. From Harry in goal with some fine saves. James and Lucas at the back. James with his trademark thunder strike from outside the area and Lucas muscled his way though the field to score. Alessandro and Jacob with their great tackles in midfield. Olly provided good link up play setting up a couple of goals and scoring one himself. Oliver again all over the pitch tacking and shooting and got 2 goals today. Jenson was again on the goal trail with another 4 goals. However, my Man of the Match was Aaryan, his improvement since the start of the season has come on leaps and bounds and was also unlucky not to score. Also there was an own goal. Well done everyone, we just seem to get better and better each week. So proud of the boys.

U10 Girls

Girls won 5-3 with Amelie scoring 2, Millie, Ella & Tuula also scoring. Well done girls !!

U14 Girls

A superb win today for the U14 girls against KBS! Some excellent performances all round. Defence kept a clean sheet, and kept composure throughout the game. Midfielders and strikers were strong on the attack with some superb creative play. 5 goals coming from Darcey and 1 from Mia D. Congratulations to Elly Mai for oppositions player of the game.

AFC Stoneham 6

KBS 0

U15 Girls

A great 5-3 win for the girls today . Scorers; Hannah webb,Tash Glaspool and Victoria Johnson with a superb hat trick who also won player of the match .

U18 Girls

A very good 5-1 away win at AFC Portchester in the last 8 of the Hampshire Cup.

Scorers:

Kaylee Buckingham (pictured)

Leah Webster

Jess Treweek x2

Libby Salmon

The girls now play Romsey Town in the semi final next Saturday .

Well done girls !!

Sunday Update - 4th April 2021

Following on from the return of our "baby purps" yesterday many of our teams also returned to play today.

The Under 8 Panthers had a hard fought game today. They recovered from what can only be described as post lockdown rustiness to fight their way back in to the game. Ethan, Dexter, Carter, Rafferty and Harley M with the goals today. Ethan was player of the day for getting us back in to it and for his constant running and battling. Well done Panthers. Great to be back and to see the smiles on their faces.

The Under 9 Panthers put in a brilliant performance on their first game back. Some brilliant passing and moving, as well as exceptional communication. Goals from Eddie and Millie were all fantastic. A massive well done to everyone! POTM was Eddie for his amazing runs and goals. Happy Easter!

Under 9 Spitfires kicked off the year in the same fashion as they finished 2021. The mix of great team play, togetherness, slick passing and smiles made the perfect recipe for today’s return. Josh “the cat” kept a clean sheet with George Bushell hitting a brace and Adam Smith chipping in with a goal. Great team performance all round. George “Kante” Forbes was today’s MOTM. In addition Manager Jon...... discreetly mentioned his "top bins goal" on his AFC Stoneham Veterans debut yesterday in a scintillating 5-5 v Colden Common ! ("Surely Jon’s too young to be playing Veterans football ?" we hear you ask!)

Under 9 Royals - A memorable victory for the Royals today as we won the game in some style. A very entertaining game throughout. With sensational goals coming from Archie, Marcus, Harry, Tuula and Zain. We controlled the game like we hadn’t been away for 3 months and we showed real signs of progression and exceptional teamwork was the highlight. We bossed some very complex scenarios whilst staying very composed and professional. Everyone enjoyed the first game back and we are raring to go again next week

The Under 10 Panthers had a great return today against a well organised opposition. Ablaye, Jacob, Mason and Eddie with the goals today. A fantastic display showing little signs of fatigue following lockdown. Player of the day was Ablaye but a shoutout to every player today for showing skill and determination. Most importantly, good to be back playing again! Well done Panthers.

Under 10 Tigers - AFC Stoneham U10 Tigers vs Colden Common U10 Rangers. Despite the long break since our last match-day, the team got off to a fast start, finding the net early as the boys linked up well, created chance after chance, and moved ball like they hadn’t missed a beat. Match fitness came into play late on, with expected tired legs leading to some defensive frailties. Superb solo finishing from Colden Common’s forwards saw them threaten a comeback, in what was otherwise a quiet afternoon for AFC Stoneham GK Jack Binns, thanks to the patrolling Dominik Veal who was dominant as ever in our half. Goals from Kristof Hollosy (2), Miles Griffiths, Spencer Winter (3), and Louis Howard. All things considered, a very positive return for the team who loved being back on the pitch today. A big hurdle overcome and it’s back to business for this talented group.

The Under 10 Jaguars started slow conceding a goal in the second quarter. They showed great resilience equalising thanks to Owen in the second quarter. Goals followed from Robert and Freddie to make the game 3-1. We defended well in the second half of the game and conceded late to a southbrook counter attack. Overall a solid 3-2 win from the Jaguars. Motm performance from "the cat" in the sticks, Fin who kept us in the game when it was 0-1.

The Under 11 Panthers and Falcons had a friendly today on the new grass pitches:

Both teams were excited to be back at football and make a good start. A fantastic performance from both teams, as well as some great friendly competition. A massive well done to all involved! The Panthers put in a huge amount of effort and passion, which reflected in our stellar performance. MOTM was Joe for his excellent tackling and quick learning.

The Under 11 Spitfires finally got back playing today against our very own Falcons in a very friendly played friendly. Some excellent football played and Spitfires put in a faultless performance winning 6-0, although it was never about the result today it was all about the boys finally back playing again. Excellent goals scored from worldies to great team play goals. Scorers were Harley Marjason 2, Oliver Drew, Oliver Lawrence, Harry Halligan & Charlie Maguire. Credit to Falcons who never gave up and played some nice football and on another would have scored. Great advert for AFC Stoneham in the attitude by all the boys from both teams.

The Under 14 Spitfires got back playing after 4 months against Colden Common who play 4 leagues higher. A fantastic effort by all the boys and so proud of their effort today as played some great football with grit & determination. Sadly lost 6-2 but the result was irrelevant today as just about them back playing. Having said that so pleased with how they kept fighting throughout and looking forward to resuming the season. Goals were scored by Taylor Waters & Jack Polkinghorne.

Our U18 Panthers had an excellent 7-6 win over top of the table Follands Sports with Scorers: George Newbury, Joe Hampton x2, Matt Millmore, Tom Price x2 and Kamil Augustyn. MOTM: Joe Hampton Well done guys on a great win!

Happy Easter to everyone and fantastic to be able to report on some games again!

Saturday Update - 3rd April 2021

The Baby Purps are back playing!

Great to be reporting on the return of of our Under 7 teams playing matches and seeing loads of smiles again from both children, parents, managers and coaches.

The Under 7 Spitfires finally got back to playing after over 3 months and was never about the result today as all about seeing our little purps back on that pitch together. Some good performances by the boys with some exceptional saves from Cody Walters, Elliot Finch, Harvey Whyte & Theo Yaldren in goal. Elliott Finch also showed his talents at the other end with our solitary goal. POTM went to Elliott Finch for his all round performance.

First game back after lockdown and it was a derby - AFC Stoneham Wolves v AFC Stoneham United. After an early goal by Wolves, United fought hard to keep it at 1-0 with some great saves by Harry W. In the 2nd and 3rd quarter Wolves had the upper hand but goals from Archie and Tayo gave United a boost. An amazing goal from Harry K just over the half way line was a highlight. A well fought game by both sides and great to see them all back playing football again. Purp of the match for United: Harry K (Harry Kane?).

Under 7 Wolves - Firstly it was great to be back seeing the team with their beaming smiles looking forward to getting back at it. We were against another very strong AFC Stoneham team. There was beautiful play from both teams. Some fantastic team play from Chase put them on the back foot early. However Lucas was magnificent both as a GK and out on Pitch doing the business both ends of the pitch and was rewarded MOM from our team. Lastly I would like to give PETE LAWRENCE a special mention for the way he has taken on the new team and for the quality his team played. He conducted himself and his team with the highest quality. Was great for both teams to get back playing today wasn't just a victory for one team it was a victory for AFC STONEHAM as both teams were a joy to watch.

Under 7 Jaguars - First game back and it was like they hadnt been away. Some great passing and loads of effort. Close game but we took our chances. Goals from Charlie MaCallister And Sam Purchase. POTD - Mason Russell. Well played boys!

Under 7 Panthers - Well what a great game to restart football with. Thought the boys done really well. We started very slow and conceded after 20sec but the boys stuck to the job and were rewarded with their efforts. There were some great performances from all. Jacob pulled of some good saves in Goal. Lucas and James were solid at the back with some great defending. Oliver again was all over the pitch with his running and should have had a penalty. Alessandro and Aaryan done well with some good tackling, and Aaryan was unlucky not to score. Ollie and Jenson were the scorers today with 2 and 7 respectively. My man of the match was Jenson today purely for his goals, but I could have given it to anyone, as they were all great today. It was also nice just seeing them all out playing and enjoying it again. Great to be back!

Under 7 Hurricanes - The Hurricanes were ecstatic to be playing again, but started off a bit slow and trailing at half time. The second half performance was a completely different feel, we dominated most of the possession and finished on a high. Unfortunately we missed out at the end but a great spirited performance from the Hurricanes at the death and the game could have gone either way. Zachary was our POTM.

Well done to all six of our U7 teams today for playing great games. Today was not about winning or losing but about the children getting back to playing the game they love and putting smiles back on faces.

Well done everyone!

Football Returns!

WE ARE BACK… AT LAST!

Great to see many of our players of all ages back playing football over the last few nights!

Lots of smiling faces and a big feel good factor.

Huge thanks to all of our managers and coaches for making it happen and our players parents for their suppprt and understanding during a challenging time.

Thank you.

Banging Brunches - Stanley Bennett U14 United

Stanley Bennett - U14 United

Super Chef

Stanley Bennett created his own Banging Brunches YouTube channel in lockdown as a way of showing his friends how to cook interesting things for breakfast. Now five episodes in and loads of requests locally to provide his friends and families with brunch Meal Kits, he wants more kids to get cooking and wants to make his Kits

Stanley has a Banging Brunches Meal Kit box going live today - for families across the nation to purchase for mothers day. It’s the buttermilk pancake recipe box for a family. He is on a national platform and is donating most of the profit to charity.

The Charity Stanley is donating to is the Marcus Rashfords Fareshare

Watch this space as AFC Stoneham will be giving away some Banging Brunches kits for Mothers Day !!.

Well done Stanley !!

Please share

https://greatfood2u.co.uk/restaurant/banging-brunches/


Return to football!

AFC Stoneham are delighted to announce that all of our teams will return to training and playing matches from Monday March 29th.

Our teams will now train throughout the summer and into the new season at our new ground.

The current season has been extended to June 30th to allow for all league games to be completed with the exception of our men's first team.

The club will be holding our summer tournament,for the first time at our new ground, for both boys and girls teams on July 3rd and 4th.

Finally, for this dose of positive news, AFC Stoneham will be holding Easter and Summer football sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout both holiday periods for the children at our new ground. This will be another "first" and details will be published very soon.

The club would like to take the opportunity to send a huge thank you to all of our players, parents, managers and coaches for their patience, understanding and support during this challenging time.

We very much look forward to seeing everyone from March 29th onwards!!

Thank you.

New Players for next season

AFC Stoneham will soon be returning to training at our new ground in Stoneham Lane when covid restrictions are lifted. We will immediately be recruiting new players and teams !

New U7 Mixed teams

If you child is starting out on their football journey why not join our team now !

Training for this new group will start on Thursday April 1st at 5pm with a view to form new teams for next season. Players need to be 6 or under as at 31/8/21.

Girls teams

AFC Stoneham is very proud of our growth and development around female football and we will be expanding further when we return with new players and new teams. The club has recently been commended and recognised for our contribution to female football.

We currently have 12 female teams and aim to grow that number this summer.

Our Girls Wildcats sessions is on a Monday 5-6 pm with Saints and Wales international Caitlin Davis and will restart on Monday March 29th. The Wildcats is for girls only aged 5-10 who want to begin enjoying football in a fun , friendly and safe environment. The sessions work on a “pay as you play” basis and girls can then go on to join one of our teams if they want to although can still do Wildcats at the same time.

Saturday Morning Fun Club

Will restart on Saturday April 3rd at 9am on our grass pitches.

The Fun Club is for boys and girls who wish to play in a fun environment with coach Aaron whilst learning new skills. Players can then progress into one of our teams if they so wish.

All other age groups - Male and Female

From five year olds through to our veterans we are now welcoming new players and teams both male and female to join us at our brand new £10m home in Stoneham Lane. Please come and join in !

For further details:

e-mail : chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk

07841696579

via our website contact us section or via facebook

#upthepurps

A "Thank you" card form the FA

The club was delighted and proud to recently receive a "thank you" card from the FA for the work we are doing in support of the female game .

"You are a great example"

"The growth of the female game is down to the work carried out by people like those at your club"

"I don't think we can ever fully convey how much it is appreciated or how important your club is to the female game in this country "

Dame Sue Campbell

Director of Womens Football , The FA.

The "thank you" is on the back of some work we recently did with the FA which is ongoing and highlighted the enormous contribution our female teams are making to both local football and our club.

Thank you to all of our female players and team managers/coaches .

Keep up the great work !

"Little things make a huge difference"

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#upthepurps

#purplegirlpower

#proud

Matt Le Tissier - Thank you

A massive thank you to the legend that is Matt Le Tissier for spending time with some of our club members last night on a specially arranged webinar.

Matt was articulate, intelligent and very interesting leaving lots of "golden nuggets" for both young and old alike.

Very inspirational .

Matt has been a legend in these parts for many years showing huge loyalty to Southampton and the local area. His fantastic reputation was cemented even further last night with our football club.

Thank you Matt.

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#legodisapurp

#upthepurps

The growth of female football at AFC Stoneham - Matt Austin

Following on from the continued success of our ladies’ team, AFC Stoneham are delighted to have quadrupled our squads from 3 to 12 last summer, in reflection of the ever-growing interest in the club over the past few seasons.

The club see this as a huge step not only for our football club but for the women’s game as a whole, keeping pace with the sport’s massive boom in popularity over the past few years. This exciting development represents a great opportunity for local talent to hone their skills and progress through the ranks within the club, mirroring the structure of our men’s teams.

First team manager Tom Forbes guided his side to an impressive 11 wins from 12 league games last season prior to the campaign’s early conclusion in the Spring, and the coach highlighted the added depth throughout the club as one of the many beneficial facets of the expansion project.

“It’s another positive step, this year we were able to set up a Development Squad and I always like to refer back to a few years ago when we’d have times where we had maybe as few as 10 turn up to training, so to have 45 or so girls raring to go at the beginning of the season - it just shows the great strides that we’re making.

“Another great thing to see is that the increase in popularity hasn’t just been in the youth bracket either, each week we were seeing girls and women ranging from 16 to 42 to turn up for training.

“So that's incredible interest, and I’d like to think our facilities are one of the best in the South so we’re in a really good position to kick on and keep engaging with the ladies.

“Everyone can see what we’ve done for youth football with the boys and the infrastructure we have in place, now the girls can see that we're starting to integrate that on this side of things too.”

Development through increased competition for places is a proven method of allowing talented players to thrive, and while the Coronavirus pandemic has meant the first team are yet to play a league game this season, that certainly hasn’t dampened the optimism around the camp.

“Our progress over the last three to four years has been phenomenal, we were looking really strong in the league and increasingly confident of being right in the mix to win it this year.

“It’s been a frustrating period for everyone but it’s given us the opportunity to work in different ways, we’re setting up zoom sessions to work on the tactical side of things and to see how everyone’s keeping fit, and if it comes to it – planning for next season.”

With exciting plans for a return to sport beginning to take shape, the club are looking ahead to the prospect of taking the great progress already achieved even further.

Tracey Wheeler is the Ladies’ Secretary with decades of experience in the game, overseeing administrative duties and contributing to the smooth running of the club on a day to day basis.

While things are quieter than usual in the off season at the moment, transitioning from 3 to 12 teams requires all the relevant forms and registration procedures to be carried out for each player that joins the team.

This represents a hectic schedule but it’s one that Tracey is keen to get stuck in with, as she explains the growth witnessed at the club:

“It goes hand in hand with what we’re seeing everywhere, I think women’s football is regarded as one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and we really started to see that first hand when the England Lionesses had their amazing World Cup run in 2019.

“With so many girls wanting to replicate their heroes it was a really huge pull, there’s a lot more coverage on TV now and with such a high demand we were really excited to expand the number of teams we have.

“I registered somewhere between two to three hundred ladies last year which is a huge figure compared to the previous years, and the vast majority of the girls that I’ve been running through the process with have been from the local area, so for them to have something to get involved with and benefit socially as well - it can only be a positive thing.”

While the club aim to step the ladies’ team up to a competitive level, grassroots football can often suffer due to the differing quality of locally ran pitches. However, the move to a new £10 million home is something that Tracey identifies as a massive bonus to everyone involved with Stoneham.

“The new base is absolutely amazing; we’re not restricted or dependant on the weather like many teams are - flooded pitches see hundreds of games cancelled at this sort of level every year.

“For the ladies to play on the stadium pitch is fantastic for them, every team at Stoneham gets to use the facility and with less disruption we can focus more on improving the quality of football we’re producing.

“It’s another one of the reasons we’ve had such a massive increase in interest, why wouldn’t you want to play in that kind of environment?”

Under 7-10 Girls - New players for next season

When the club returns after lockdown we will be looking to create our young girl’s teams for season 2021/22 and commence training sessions for them in preparation for the new season.

Whilst we will look to recruit new players across all age groups we are keen to hear from girls who will be starting out on their football journey.

Girls aged 7 - 10 as at 31/8/21. AFC Stoneham is a huge supporter of female football and currently has 12 female teams of which 9 were created last summer. We aim to maintain this growth for season 21/22 across all age groups.

We are especially keen to hear from girls aged 7-10 as at 31/8/21 who can both play in one of our teams and also join our girls only FA Wildcats Centre on a Monday night.

If you wish to join a thriving and growing community based football club and require further details please contact:

chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk

Phone: 07841 696579

or via Facebook.

New Girls Teams.jpeg

Under 7 - New players for next season

When the club returns after lockdown we will be looking to create our young teams for season 2021/22 and commence training sessions for them in preparation for the new season.

Whilst we will look to recruit new players across all age groups we are keen to hear from players who will be starting out on their football journey.

U7 Mixed teams - This season we have 6 teams playing and training every week at the age group and hope to emulate this again for the new season. Players must be 6 as at 31/8/21 or possibly turn 6 in September, October or November 2021.

If interested in joining a thriving and growing community based football club please contact:

chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk

Phone: 07841696579

or via Facebook.

Under 7's.jpg

AFC Stoneham - Fun Quiz Results

Thank you to everyone who joined in last night for our first ever club quiz which was great fun. We had 45 people/devices playing.

Big thanks also to Pete and Dean for their excellent organisation, support and presentation of the quiz.

Congratulations to Casha (U15 Rovers) for the top individual score of 455 points!

The team awards and winners based on the average of the teams top 3 individual scores were:

U11 Spitfires with 366 Points, winning £100!

U16 Rovers with 351 Points, winning £50!

U13 Knights with 324 Points, winning £25!

A huge well done to all of our winning teams.

The aim of the quiz was to engage with teams, players and parents and most importantly have a little bit of fun and enjoyment during these challenging times. We feel this was certainly achieved!

We will hopefully be arranging a second quiz in a couple of weeks and most importantly another huge thank you to all of those people who joined in and contributed to a great night.