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"

Please share

#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.

Please share

#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.

Player Development Centre

We recently had an article written on the club and our own Player Development Centre by journalist Matt Austin which we have printed below.

Developing Potential: Paving the way for AFC Stoneham’s Youth.

AFC Stoneham have a proud record of developing our own young players and one that we are fully committed to growing further in the next few years through a defined and structured player pathway.

At the heart of this ambition is the Player Development Centre. Undertaken by fully qualified coaches, extra sessions outside of usual team training times present the opportunity for ambitious players to flourish in an advanced environment.

With the development programme taking full advantage of our new £10 million training complex, the extra facilities at the club’s disposal offer more opportunities for the next generation of talent to hone their skills through individually managed sessions.

This added attention to detail is hugely beneficial to both the players and coaches, something that our U-18 coach and Development Centre manager Tom Brown sees as a real positive of the new set-up:

“I've seen great development in the players in such a short space of time, purely down the quality of the facility which allows us to continually train, and it also helps with matchdays.

“In terms of the new centre, I think because of the resources which are available, for example the number of goals that can be used, the increase in space has definitely allowed us to explore new methods.

“It allows the coaches a lot more flexibility with their plans. If we’ve got access to two goals, we can make it look and feel like a game in training. That's ultimately what we want to be able to achieve.

“There's a lot more decision making for the players off the back of that, and far more in-game scenarios that we can replicate on the training field which massively improves our preparation for matches.”

Tom oversees a vast number of sessions and games at the new AFC Stoneham ground, and with 13 players making the step up from youth level into the first team as we were placed second in the Wessex Premier League last season, it’s clear that progression through the ranks is a priority focus:

“For me, with it being such a local club, I think it's really important that we look to bring through our own players.

“We’ve seen that across the course of this season. At one point I believe we had eight under-18 players playing in the Development Squad (AFC Stoneham second team) and we’ve been really impressed not only with their impact but the results too.

“Beating the side sitting top of the table was really nice to see - it goes to show that these lads have a great mentality and all play for each other.

“Some of those players are still only 16 years of age and they’re already competing against fully grown men.”

In the Development Squad this season, having played 12 competitive games, the club has used 22 players who have previously represented the club at youth level. 17 of these players are still currently with our U-18’s, 10 of which were 16 years of age when making their debuts.

Furthermore, three of our current U-16 squad were involved in the U-18 FA Youth Cup this season, with a total of seven having been involved in U-18 football at AFC Stoneham to date.

This growing number of young players taking impressive steps throughout the entire structure of the club is a great sign of what’s to come, and evidence of the work being put in at the new centre.

As well as smoothing out the often tough transition from youth football to first team action, the added training time has enabled coaches to work on specific elements of each player’s game.

It’s one of the main benefits of the centre and something that Tom believes to be a vital aspect of developing a player’s skill set:

“I think the main aim of the Development Centre is to identify the players that we recognise to be pushing up to a high level within their age group, from there we look to try and push them up to work within different age groups in order to take them out of their comfort zones. It’s a real test of their ability, that’s where we’ll start to see what the biggest challenges facing that individual are.

“It's really interesting to see how the players cope, and while some players might struggle initially, as the sessions go on you always start to see a little bit more confidence in their play.

“Us as coaches and the players themselves begin learning more from there.

“Whether it turns out that they might need to work more on the physical side of the game, or if it’s from a technical point of view where they're struggling, even if it’s a tactical lesson where we can work on how to find spaces and where to look on the pitch; it’s all very positive and beneficial for the lads.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic plunging the UK into multiple lockdowns, the good work being put in at the Development Centre has been brought to a temporary halt. Building strong relationships on and off the field has always been a key element of a successful team, something the club are keen to stress more than ever in this year of isolation:

“When we’re mixing the age groups, we’re of course looking at the fundamentals of the game but socially as well it’s a great aid for the players, usually that comes from the older players talking and giving advice to the younger lads, but it helps them too.

“We’re very much a family, we want those relationships up and down the club. I think if you can get players from a young age getting to know people from the other squads, when they eventually get to that top end to be in the first team or part of the Development Squad, it’s not so much of a big step because they're aware of who those players are beforehand.

“We’re excited looking forward, there’s a lot more that can be done with it. It’s been difficult because of everything that’s going on in the world but I think as the next few months go on, when we can get back to playing football we'll be able to put some other things in place that’ll see us progress even further.”

AFC Stoneham Club Quiz - Sunday 31st January @ 7PM

A fun quiz for all of our players, parents and supporters based on your child's team.

All proceeds raised will go back into our junior teams as prize money.

  • Winner - £100.

  • Runner Up - £50.

  • 3rd Place - £25.

- Multiple choice answers.

- 10 Rounds of 10 questions.

- Individual scores shown to you after each round.

- Average of top 3 individual scores per team will be the overall team score.

- Team with most points takes the prize to be spent on their team.

This is a pilot event for the club and hopefully more will follow depending on the success of this event.

Please register online at:

https://www.rentaquiz.co.uk/afc-stoneham-quiz

We very much look forward to engaging with as many of our players, parents and supporters on the night for a fun evening. Please do come and join in!

Thank you.

Michael Messom - An Obituary

It is with great sadness that the Club heard of the death of Michael Messom who passed away suddenly on Thursday the 7th January 2021.

Michael, known as Mick to most people, had been involved in youth football for the past 30 years and was the Treasurer for AFC Stoneham until stepping down from the role 18 months ago. Mick was instrumental in assisting with the merger between Granley Rovers Youth FC and AFC Stoneham in 2011.

Mick was Chairman of Granley for four years before moving across to the Treasurers position, a role which he continued to fulfil for 23 years for both Granley and subsequently AFC Stoneham. He could also be found each year compiling the scores at the annual Granley, and then the AFC Stoneham, sixes tournaments in the control tent.

Although Mick worked tirelessly for Youth Football he was also a devoted family man to his wife Mel and their six children and subsequent grandchildren. Whilst raising their elder two daughters and two sons, they also found time to foster and then adopt two further children. All three of the boys played youth football for Granley Rovers which kept Mick busy with the logistics of getting all three to their various matches and training sessions.

Mick was a highly intelligent man and great company in social settings. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him well.

Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time.

Rest in peace Mick.

"It’s okay not to be okay"

We understand that many people including our own players, managers, coaches, parents and supporters could be struggling during these hugely challenging and testing times .

We are all in this together and as a community club are here to listen, help and support. It is good to talk.

Just pick up the phone , e-mail or message via fbook or our website .

Contacts:

Other support organisations include:

  • Samaritans - 116 123

  • MIND. - 0300 123 3393

  • Age UK - 0800 678 1602

  • Calm - 0800 585858

Be positive, keep smiling and be kind to each other.

AFC Stoneham - COVID-19 Update

Dear All Managers/Coaches

AFC Stoneham have taken the decision to cancel all games on Jan 3, 9 and 10 that any of our teams may be involved in plus all training during the week commencing January 4th.

Whilst we understand that junior/ youth football is allowed under current Tier 4 guidelines the main relevant messages within government guidelines are to stay at home, do not travel and only mix outside with one other adult from another household.

As at Dec 28 positive cases in Eastleigh have risen 140.6% in the last 7 days over the previous 7 days (Dec 15-21).

We do not therefore believe it is responsible to both organise and encourage children and adults to travel and meet in groups at this challenging time. Mitigating the spread of Covid 19 and the health and safety of everyone at the club has to be of paramount importance.

As a, hopefully, responsible and reputable club, we believe we have an obligation to undertake clear action on an obviously very serious situation with current Covid 19 case numbers rising.

We do understand that there will be varying views, which we respect, however as a club we feel we should take a single course of action. We will review the situation on January 7/8 and update everyone immediately on our decision in respect of Jan 11 onwards.

Your help and support at this challenging time is hugely appreciated.

Kind regards,
Mark Stupple

Chairman

AFC Stoneham

Sunday Update - 20th December 2020

Under 8 Panthers

The Under 8 Panthers had a great performance and result today. Ethan Smith, Rafferty Woods, Frank Day and Harley McParland with the goals, in what was an assured, confident display. A slight switch off towards the end of the game threatened to derail us but overall a great team performance. Well done Panthers! Enjoy your well deserved break.

Under 9 Panthers

The Under 9 Panthers put in a stellar performance in their last game before Christmas. Some fantastic passing play, especially later in the game, exposing the opposition down the wings. Brilliant play all round and an almost perfect performance! Goal scorers were Eddie (x2), Will (x2) and Charlie. POTW was Eddie for his excellent goals and work rate, especially in the final two quarters. Well done team! Merry Christmas from the Panthers! 

Under 10 Panthers

The Under 10 Panthers finished 2020 with a hard fought win against a spirited Southbrook team. We showed great battling qualities and got the result we deserved. Ablaye Jallo with both goals following assists from Eddie Angell and Jacob Pinder. Jayden Landa was our player of the day for his 100% commitment and work ethic, coming close to hitting the onion bag on several occasions. Well done Panthers and a great way to end this part of the season!

Under 13 Panthers

The Under 13 Panthers ended 2020 with a 5-2 friendly win at home to Southbrook Vikings. The game was played in good spirit from both teams, and was a good opportunity for us to try some different formations and positions. Goals came from Kunashe Musonza, Max Edwards, Joe Finch, Ben Revell and an own goal. Well done to the boys for their development since the start of the season and hoping for a successful end to the season when we return in the new year.

Under 15 Hawks

AFC Stoneham Under 15 Hawks 2 - 1 Sholing. Another excellent win for the Hawks with goals from Tom Burford-Hoad & Freddie Gayton. MOTM was Tom Burford-Hoad.

Under 18 Panthers

U18 Panthers had a good 3-2 win v Matchwood with goals from Jacob Adams, George Newbury and Alban Lake. MOTM: George Newbury.

A massive well done to all of our teams! Happy Christmas!