Club News
AFC Stoneham are always looking for new boys and girls to join our club with the right attitude.
If you would like to join our club or obtain more details please contact:
Mark 07841696579 chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk
Andirs managementsupport@afcstoneham.co.uk
Jensen - Outstanding Sportsmanship
U9 Hurricanes
We received a message this afternoon........
"Hi there, I’m not sure whether or not I have the right number but my son’s team have just played Stoneham u9s hurricanes and I really feel I need to feedback on the exceptional sportsmanship of their goalkeeper.
He complimented everyone on the opposition team, shook their hands and their managers’ hands before going to celebrate with his team. When they came off the pitch, he walked up to my son (who is goalkeeper for Netley yellows) to tell him that he’s a really good goalkeeper.
I really wanted to feedback to their coach at the time but they were leading the debrief. I wouldn’t normally message on WhatsApp with things like this but I couldn’t not feed this back. Please could you pass on to his coach/parents how impressed I was by him"
We have thanked the lady for taking the time to send such a fantastic message. We all hear the negative news but rarely do we hear or spread the positive news.....and there is more positive than negative!
As a club we are extremely fortunate and proud to have such wonderful children in our ranks such as Jensen.
Well done Jensen for setting such a great example of superb sportsmanship!
Thank you.
Wessex League team of the month
AFC Stoneham.
We were delighted to be presented with the Wessex League Team of the Month for October yesterday after our victory over Baffins Milton Rovers.
Greg Dickson, league board member, made the presentation to our club president Geoff Smith.
Well done to everyone.
Thank you.
Super U12 Girls Phoenix
What a day ....the teams first ever win!
U12 G Phoenix Vs Colden Common Royals - HFA Cup - 1st win for the team!!
On Silent Weekend, voices were quiet but hearts were loud.
The Phoenix girls showed that communication isn’t just about shouting loudly — it’s about trust, movement, and understanding. Every drill, every tactic, every lesson from training was on display today. From pressing as a unit to supporting each other off the ball, they played like a team that believes in each other, and it was a beautiful sight.
It wasn’t the easiest start, with an unlucky own goal from a corner in the 3rd minute. But instead of heads dropping, they fought back instantly. Lottie smashed down the left for the equaliser, Katie pulled off a stunning one-handed save, and Charlotte redeemed herself with a brilliant goal to put us ahead at half-time.
In the second half, they controlled the game with confidence, every single one of them playing their part. Lily added a well-taken goal, Keira made a heroic block on the line, and Charlotte sealed the win with her second of the day. Final score: 4-1 to the Phoenix, who now progress to the next round of the cup!
Every pass, every run, every moment of support was a reflection of the trust and connection they’ve built. The bond these girls have is phenomenal — no egos, just a team relentlessly supporting each other. They’ve taken everything from training — the hard work, the learning, the commitment — and turned it into a performance that showed exactly what they’re capable of.
As coaches and parents, we couldn’t be prouder of how far they’ve come since the team was rebuilt in the summer. Today wasn’t just a win; it was proof of their growth, resilience, and unity. Never have they lived our motto more: as Phoenixes, they rose together. Always
Opposition POTM: Lottie – unstoppable on the wing and consistent week after week.
Parents & Coaches POTM: Charlotte – 2 goals, 2 assists, and tireless work rate earned her 2 awards!
What is "winning"? This is "winning"!!
Well done Phoenix. Proud of you all.
Remembrance Weekend
All of our teams are observing a minutes silence or applause this weekend.
The club has asked all of our managers to take time before hand to explain to the children as to why we observe and respect a minutes silence.
We honour the courage, sacrifice, and service of those who gave their lives.
Lest we forget.
AFC Stoneham in Kenya
We are delighted to announce that the club is creating new AFC Stoneham teams in Kenya as we introduce young players to organised football and coaching.
Our club coach, Jacob, arrived in a small village called Guu just outside of Oyugis in Western Kenya this week.
Jacob has volunteered for a charity which is a home for teenage mothers where they can stay, study and play football whilst learning how to better look after their babies. The charity also helps the boys in the village by running football training and various classes.
Jacob under AFC Stoneham is now heading up the football coaching for both male and females until Christmas.
The project has already created two new "AFC Stoneham - Kenya" teams registered under the Kenyan FA. One team for boys and one for girls.
The boys are aged between 15 and 18 and the girls 16 and 18, both will play 11-a-side
with the first friendlies due to be played next weekend after a couple of weeks training. All kit and equipment is being donated by AFC Stoneham.
Jacob is also hoping to run a younger boys team very soon which is currently work in progress.
Jacob said" The kids are brilliantly talented but most of them have never been coached. Most have never worn football boots or even been to a proper pitch. AFC Stoneham is the talk of the village and thanks to the donation I am seeing purple everywhere !"
This is a wonderful initiative for the club and Jacob is undoubtedly a superstar representing AFC Stoneham in such a fantastic way.
Jacob will be updating the club with reports on a regular basis up to Christmas.
We all very much look forward to the progress of this fantastic project!
Thank you
Brighton and Hove Albion Girls v AFC Stoneham
Our U10, U12, U14 and U15 girls teams all hosted premier league Brighton and Hove Albion girls this week.
All of the matches were well contested and played in a great spirit. Brighton and Hove Albion were extremely complimentary of both the girls and the club.
We are now hoping to build stronger links with both Brighton and Hove Albion and other academies over the next few months.
We would like to thank Brighton for visiting Stoneham Lane whilst sending a big well done to all of our teams.
Super Olly Small !
U11 Athletics Olly Small had a lot of his hair cut off on Thursday to raise money for the charity Young Lives v Cancer.
Our men's first team have just donated to take the total to £1100 with a target set by Olly of £1300.
Any contribution that you can make towards hitting Ollys target would be superb.
A huge well done to Olly for raising this amount of money for a wonderful charity!
Thank you
ISMAIL AND BBC DIY SOS
The recent episode of BBCs DIY SOS programme was this week filmed in Southampton and AFC Stoneham certainly played their part!
Our U11 Mavericks player Ismail and his family enjoyed the makeover of their house by over 150 tradesman from the local area who all gave up their time free of charge over the space of a week.
The BBC and Nick Knowles visited AFC Stoneham whilst Ismail and his Mavericks team mates were filmed during an evening training session. Thank you to Mavericks manager,Asa, for organising this who said it was a "fantastic experience" for the whole team.
Our club also had some of our great people help fulfil the families dream's.
Nick Odonnell, U13 Phoenix manager, and his business Solid Build did a lot of the bricklaying during the week. Nick said" it was such a fantastic experience where we made so many new friends. It was brilliant!"
Stewart Beck, Veterans manager, and his business Aqua Heat Assure installed a lot of the new plumbing. "Becko" said " A surreal experience. Absolutely wonderful in "organised chaos". I must admit there was a lot of us "peeling onions" when the final reveal and finished house was shown this week!".
The episode is due to be on BBC1 early next year.
Both Solid Build and Aqua Heat Assure are two fantastic local businesses highly recommended by AFC Stoneham.
Our club is very lucky and so proud to have such wonderful people as Ismail, Nick and Stewart on board with us.
Well done guys !
With 157 teams and 1700 young players we are always looking for new managers and coaches to come along and join the club.
These are voluntary roles for males and females which give a lot of “job satisfaction” whilst having a very positive effect on young lives. People need to be positive, organised , approachable and in essence be a great role model for our young players.
If you are interested in an informal chat please contact Mark on 07841696579 or via
chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk
New U7/U8 Girls squads
The club has now created two new U8 girls teams for the new season, the Lionesses and the Sabres, and are now looking to create a third team due to the phenomenal response!
Our brand new squad of U7 and U8 Girls played their first ever games recently at the Winchester Flyers Tournament.
All the girls were phenomenal with 8 different goalscorers across the 2 tournaments. The under 8's, after playing their first game did not let a goal in for the rest of the tournament, whilst scoring 8!
Both the coaches and parents were extremely proud of the girls. Well done to all 10 girls involved and we look forward to the next games.
This was a great first football experience and the photos speak volumes for the amount of fun and enjoyment that all of the girls had!
Well done girls!
If you daughter is interested in joining a training session please email :chairman@afcstoneham.co.uk
U14G Phoenixes - Winchester City Flyers Tournament
Our U14 Girls Phoenix enjiyed great success at the Winchester Flyers Tournament this year.
They dominated the first two games of the group stage but didn’t manage to find the back of the net ending in 2 draws 0-0.
They fought even harder in their third game and it paid off with a 5-1 win. The quarter final and semi final ended in penalties. Each time the girls took it in and delivered, leading them to the final.
Unfortunately they ran out of steam towards the end and lost 0-1.
A great performance from all the girls today given the level of the teams in the tournament!
Well done Phoenixes!
Up the purps
New U12 Jaguars
The U12 Jaguars have formed for this coming season with most being new to football - today we took part in the Winchester Tournament in which we came up against teams in much higher divisions, the girls didn’t care and went out to play football.
After battling all afternoon they were rewarded when they beat a team from a higher division and managed to progress through to the quarter Finals!
The girls also enjoyed each others company whilst not on the pitch and are coming together as one as they look forward to getting the season started on Saturday.
Well done Jags
Academy Success - U14 Tigers 24/25
AFC Stoneham will have 1700 players at various development levels next season whilst we continue to encourage boys and girls to get involved and enjoy football regardless of their level. Everyone's football journey is different!
That journey for three of last seasons U14 Tigers has led them into professional football clubs. They have just signed contracts with Bournemouth, Southampton and Chelsea.
Josh O’Driscoll
Josh came to the Tigers playing a year up having trained with Fulham and Bournemouth, looking to play in a physically demanding league, so came in as a left back in Tyro Div 1. Over the summer Josh chose to sign with AFC Bournemouth.
In 2024/25, the Tigers also played with three female players in their squad. They were the only team in Tyro Div 1 to achieve this. Over the summer two of those girls have now moved on to sign contracts.
Selina Namisango and Eva Doyle
Selina has signed for Southampton Women whilst Eva has signed with Chelsea.
Team manager Richard Veal said it was fantastic to play a very small part in these three Tigers journeys.
"You could see with each of them the additional composure and confidence they had both in and out of possession. This proves that you don’t always need to have trophies to measure success and the coaching and management at AFC Stoneham has helped these three individuals on their journeys. We wish them well and will follow their progress with interest and a little pride"
Well done to Richard and all of the Tigers team. The club is immensely proud of the team,Josh, Selina and Eva who we wish all the luck in the world to as they continue their football journeys.
Please share
Under 16 Girls
Nike Partner Club Tournament
St George's Park - Sunday
Following on from our U14 Girls Phoenixes competing in the invitational Nike Partner Club tournament on Saturday at St George's Park it was the turn of our U16 Girls to enjoy the same wonderful experience on Sunday ....and what a day they had!
Team report:
After being able to explore behind the scenes, and having exclusive access to unreleased Nike boots, they competed in a tournament consisting of 18 teams.
Tournament football hasn’t been all too good to us this off-season, but today has shown just how far the girls have come. To go through the day unbeaten without conceding a single goal is an incredible achievement in itself, and a testament to just how hard the girls work for one another.
As a result of their grit and determination, they placed 3rd, meaning they won a new pair of Nike football boots each!
The team management said" The girls have honestly had one of the best days of their lives and we would like to send a huge thank you to Nike, Kitlocker and of course our club for giving us such an incredible experience.
To finish 3rd from 18 teams from all over England was an unbelievable achievement and shows what the girls can really achieve although the incentive of a brand new pair of the latest Nike boots for each player for finishing in the top 4 seemed to work!
A day that the girls and parents will talk about forever"
We are extremely proud of each and every one of these girls, and after today’s performance, we cannot wait to get the new season underway.
A huge well done girls for representing AFC Stoneham in such a fantastic way. We are all very proud of you!
U14 Girls Phoenixes
Nike Partner Club Tournament 2025
St Georges Park
Our report on a wonderful day!
AFC Stoneham U14 Girls Phoenixes had the great opportunity to take part with 23 other teams in the Nike Partner Club tournament at St George’s Park on Saturday.
Twin sisters Mollie and Rosie Kmita hosted the day. They are professional footballers turned sports broadcasters, also known for hosting the Barclays Women's Championship Show on Sky, and for creating the Powerhouse Project, a platform focused on creating opportunities for the next generation of women in football.
It was a busy day packed with various activities, including tournaments, education and customisation.
The girls started with a fun warm up followed by a sport bra fitting workshop, a drills session practising 1v1, 2v2 and skills before starting the tournament.
The Phoenixes first played Baypoint FC. They dominated the whole game and won 2-0 with Jess G opening the score early on in the second half, followed by a second goal from Ali.
The second game was a bit harder than the first against a more physical team , the Cottage Farm Rangers, but the girls held up and Maelys scored just before half time. The opposition equalised within the first minute of the second half but the Phoenixes battled hard and a brilliant corner from Jess G gave them the win 2-1.
After their lunch break, they attended a Q and A session with Faye White (300 caps for Arsenal and more than 90 for England) who shared her experience and gave them some advice.
The girls then got a tour of the Lionesses changing rooms where they got to see and comment on the Nike boots to come out in 18 months.They were also offered a goodie bag that they got to customise.
Whilst the morning games had taken place under the dome, they got to play the afternoon ones outdoors.
Unfortunately despite battling hard, they lost the third game of the day 0-2 against a strong Watford team. They came back fighting even harder for their last game against Berkhamstead and won 2-0 thanks to 2 goals from Emily.
The day finished as it started, with all teams together for some relaxation before heading home.
All in all, the Phoenixes had a great day! With a few girls having recently joined the team, it was great to see them all play together with a great teamwork and spirit on and off the pitch as if they had always known each other.
A special mention to Jess P who couldn’t play due to an injury but still came and supported the team!
A big thank you to AFC Stoneham for the opportunity, to Josh Willis for taking them and to Nike, partner of AFC Stoneham for organising the event.
Well done to Josh, all of the girls and parents on a fantastic experience!
Layla U15 Lionesses and Zanzibar children
Our U15 Lionesses Layla Shiner is currently in Zanzibar, Eastern Africa with her Deer Park school
Layla and some of the other pupils from Deer Park travelled to Zanzibar with African Adventures. African Adventures work with 29 schools in developing areas of Ghana, Kenya and Zanzibar, and organise life-changing group volunteer trips for people of all ages.
When the children arrive their different skills are matched up, this could be building a new part of the school, helping teach in the classroom, Layla opted for football coaching, following her love of football, and wanted to teach football to the children whilst she is out there.
AFC Stoneham were delighted to be able to fill Laylas large suitcase with football kit, balls, water bottles, scarfs etc some of which can be seen in the photos below.
A huge well done to Layla for completing a wonderful experience and helping the children of Zanzibar.
AFC Stoneham signs landmark partnership agreement with Nike
On July 1st 2025 AFC Stoneham became a Nike Partner Club supported by The FA and Kitlocker.
As the largest grassroots football club in the South of England the partnership with Nike recognises our ambition, our growth and our commitment to excellence on and off the field as a thriving 3-star FA accredited community club
The 3-year strategic partnership will enhance the club’s national recognition and allow
access to Nike’s football apparel, elite level coaching, development resources and exclusive events.
We are excited to work with Nike to support the FA’s Powerhouse Project to identify and develop the female coaches of the future.
In line with the Nike partnership, we will work exclusively with Kitlocker to launch our own bespoke range of matchday kits and training kits including ladies cut sizes for the first time.
Kitlocker are pleased to release the below statement:
Kitlocker and AFC Stoneham: A Game Changing Nike Partnership
Kitlocker is proud to announce a landmark partnership with AFC Stoneham, who now officially become the South of England’s biggest Nike Partner Club (NPC).
This exciting collaboration represents a major step forward for grassroots football in the UK, as two forward thinking organisations come together to deliver exceptional quality, service, and support to one of the country’s most ambitious community clubs.
As a Nike Partner Club through Kitlocker, AFC Stoneham will benefit from:
Elite-level Nike teamwear and training gear
A fully customised online club shop
Enhanced service and fulfilment solutions
Access to exclusive NPC benefits and opportunities
With 150 teams and a commitment to inclusion, player development, and community growth, AFC Stoneham continues to set the standard for what a grassroots club can achieve.
This partnership will not only elevate the experience for players, coaches, and supporters but also help the club thrive on and off the pitch for years to come.
Kitlocker is excited to see AFC Stoneham thrive and move forward aligned to Nike’s grassroots vision for the future of football.
Ben Dixon New Business Development Manager at Kitlocker, said:
“This is more than just a kit deal – it’s a statement of intent.
AFC Stoneham is a club with ambition, scale, and a true community focus. We have been extremely impressed with the whole club and are very proud to support them as they become the South’s biggest Nike Partner Club and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.
A big thank you to Mark, Phil and Alex for their support in launching this new partnership”
This is more than a partnership. It’s progress.
Kitlocker x AFC Stoneham | Powered by Nike |
Girls teams
End of season league presentation.
Well done to our girls teams who received their awards today from the Hampshire County Girls League at their presentation day at St Mary's.
Photos show our U18 Girls, U14 Girls ,U12 Girls and U11 Girls who all won their leagues!
Our U10 Girls who also won were not at the awards ceremony as they were winning a prestigious tournament in Brighton!
The club has grown the number of girls teams from one to thirty three in six years to now have the largest girls section in the South of England.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Hampshire County Girls League for their help and support to our club during this period ensuring that we can get more girls involved in playing football.
Well done girls!
Congratulations to Martin Pasielka
We were delighted to learn this week that Martin Pasielka obtained a Masters Degree with Real Madrid. Martin coached with AFC Stoneham for four years.
The Master’s degree is in Football Coaching and Management, delivered in partnership with Real Madrid Graduate School and Universidad Europea.
Real Madrid play a huge role in the course, from guest lectures by top professionals at the club, to exclusive access to training facilities and insights into how one of the world’s biggest football institutions operates both on and off the pitch.Martin also had opportunities to learn from other leading clubs and coaches across Europe, so the exposure and experience was incredible.
Martin said " It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m especially grateful for the four amazing years I spent with AFC Stoneham. This club will always hold a special place in my heart.
Wishing the entire Purple Family all the very best, have a fantastic summer and keep flying high! #UpThePurps
The picture was taken at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, home of Real Madrid, which made the graduation even more special!
Well done Martin!!
![Nisa_Logo_4col_AW01[1] (2).jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dc9f9978eda8c300ddb0e26/1612482848367-T0VL5I8BVTBLSGAN9GHP/Nisa_Logo_4col_AW01%5B1%5D+%282%29.jpg){kind=logo}
