Andover F.C.

Andover F.C.
Club crest
Full nameAndover Football Club
Nickname(s)The Lions
Founded1883
Dissolved2017
GroundPortway Stadium, Andover
Capacity3,000
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Andover Football Club was an association football club based in Andover, Hampshire, established in 1883. Since the 2007–08 season, Andover had been a member of the Southern League Division One South and West at Step 4 of the National League System (i.e. four divisions below the English Football League). The club played at this level for 29 of its 128 years of existence,[1] and played its thousandth game in this league in 2008.[2] Compared with earlier periods, the ten years from 1998 to 2008 were relatively successful for Andover, seeing them win a number of league and cup honours as well as registering their biggest ever win.

In the 2010–11 season, the club finished twenty-first out of twenty-one teams, and was dissolved in July 2011 due to continuing financial constraints. In a statement announcing the matter, club secretary Graham Cousins expressed a hope that the club could "be resurrected to play at a more appropriate level" in the future.[3] A new club, Andover Lions F.C. was subsequently formed and played in the Hampshire Premier League until February 2017.[4]

  1. ^ "Football Club History Database – Andover". Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  2. ^ "Match Report: Andover vs. Uxbridge". Andover Football Club. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Andover FC Dissolving". Andover Sound. 25 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  4. ^ Robinson, James (13 February 2017). "Andover Lions club secretary Chris Paris admits club may not return next season after dramatic exit from Hampshire Premier League". Andover Advertiser. Retrieved 13 December 2017.