A.F.C. Portchester

A.F.C. Portchester is a football club based in the Fareham suburb of Portchester, Hampshire, England and play in the Wessex League Premier Division with the reserves playing in the Wyvern Premier League. The club has a Link to AFC Portchester Youth that has 36 teams from U7 to U18.

History

The club was established in 1976 as Wicor Mill F.C., from two local Sunday league clubs, Loyds sports and Colourvision Rangers. The club started playing in local leagues and joined the Hampshire League in 1998 after having a number of previous applications rejected. In 1999, they changed their name to their present name and immediately gained promotion to Division One, following this up with the Division One championship in the 2001–02 season. In 2002 AFC Portchester joined with three local youth football clubs, Castle Royals, Portchester Royals, and Kia Royals, enabling them to significantly incorporate a youth set-up.

They joined the Wessex League's newly formed Division Three in 2004, which was renamed Division Two for the 2006–07 season. Off the pitch the club was awarded The Queens's Award for Voluntary Service – MBE for Groups by the Queen on 2 June 2011. The club followed up this award by gaining promotion from Division one to the Premier division by finishing as Runners-up in the 2011–12 season. In February 2013 the club appointed Graham Rix as head coach.

Portchester

Coordinates: 50°50′31″N 1°07′12″W / 50.842°N 1.12°W / 50.842; -1.12

Portchester is a locality and suburb 6 km (4 mi) northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton on the A27 main thoroughfare. Its population according to the 2001 Census was approximately 17 000 residents.

Name

Portchester is derived from its former Latin name Portus Adurni and the Old English suffix ceaster ("fort; fortified town").

History

The fort of Portus Adurni is considered the best-preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. It is sometimes identified as the Cair Peris listed by the 9th-century History of the Britons as among the 28 cities of Britain. The medieval Portchester Castle was built within the Roman fort.

Amenities

As well as the castle, its parish church St Mary's is listed as a Grade I protected building. There are also many historic houses in Castle Street. This suburb is well placed for waterfront leisure activities, only a short distance from the UK's 3rd-largest marina at Port Solent, from the historic city of Portsmouth, and from the market town of Fareham.