AFC Basingstoke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AFC Basingstoke was a local football club that existed in the Basingstoke area of the United Kingdom, from 1993 to 2000. It is now defunct.

During their short existence AFC Basingstoke made a meteoric rise up through the local football leagues.

[edit] Club history

Founded in 1993 as a pub side, George FC, the team entered the Basingstoke & District League, which it rapidly climbed with great success to quickly win promotion to the North Hants Senior League.

After winning the North Hants League title, the club changed its name to AFC Basingstoke and successfully applied to join the Hampshire League Division 3 in 1996 where they finished a highly creditable 4th in their debut season before winning promotion as champions in 1997-98. The following season saw AFC Basingstoke again do well as they finished 6th in Division 2.

In 1999 the Hampshire League renamed it's top flight the Premier Division, which would only accept clubs with floodlights and a fixed barrier. AFC Basingstoke moved ground to play at the Portals ground (near Overton) and were accepted and finished 18th in 1999-2000.

[edit] Demise

The clubs search for a new ground failed and after the loss a sponsor the club withdrew from the competition in the summer of 2000 and folded.

[edit] External Links

http://www.fchd.info/AFC-BASI.HTM - AFC Basingstoke statics from the Football Club History Database.

http://archive.basingstokegazette.co.uk/2005/1/28/12636.html - reference to the demise of AFC Basingstoke in an article about the demise of another Basingstoke local football club, RS Basingstoke, in the Basingstoke Gazette's online archive.