The 41 FC's 2012/2013

Aldershot's Jimmy Melia (top right), taken from Football Star Parade 1969/70.

Twenty-four clubs visited since January 2011; seventeen more clubs to visit in 2012/2013. Then it will all be over. Unlike last season, there is no change in the number of clubs in Hampshire from overall level 10 and up (assuming Pompey survive the week). The only changes concern the various leagues and divisions that clubs will be competing in - up one level go Saints, Gosport Borough, Winchester City, Hartley Wintney and AFC Portchester; whilst it is down the slippery snake for Pompey...

Eversley have merged with California (no, not the American state) to create the only name change for this season. They will be visited in due course, along with sixteen others over the next nine months.

The current full list of Level 1-10 Hampshire sides is typed out below. Those I have already visited are in bold.

Fixtures for the top four divisions can be found via any half-decent British newspaper's sports pages.

Step 1. Premiership
Southampton (Feb 2012)

2. Championship
None

3. League One
Portsmouth (Mar 2012)

4. League Two
Aldershot Town

5. Conference
None

6. Conference South
Basingstoke Town (Oct 2011)
Eastleigh (Jan 2011)
Farnborough
Havant & Waterlooville (Oct 2011)

7. Southern League Premier Division
Bashley (Feb 2012)
Gosport Borough
AFC Totton (Jan 2011)

8. Southern League Division One South & West
Sholing
Winchester City

8. Southern League Division One Central
Fleet Town (Apr 2011)

9. Wessex League Premier Division
Alresford Town
Alton Town
Blackfield & Langley (Jan 2012)
Fareham Town (Jan 2011)
Fawley
GE Hamble (Jan 2012)
Hayling United
Horndean (Apr 2011)
Lymington Town (Dec 2011)
Moneyfields (Sep 2011)
New Milton Town
AFC Portchester (Nov 2011)
Romsey Town (Feb 2011)
Totton & Eling

9. Combined Counties Premier Division
Cove (Aug 2011)
Hartley Wintney (Sep 2011)

10. Wessex League First Division
Andover New Street (Feb 2011)
Brockenhurst (Mar 2011)
Fleet Spurs
Hythe & Dibden (Apr 2012)
Petersfield Town
Ringwood Town
Stockbridge (Mar 2011)
Tadley-Calleva (Mar 2011)
Team Solent
US Portsmouth
Whitchurch United (Oct 2011)

10. Combined Counties First Division
Eversley & California

Like I said, it's time to get started again...

The 41 FCs for 2011-2013

Whizzing past Moneyfields on the train from Portsmouth Harbour.

It's time to get started again...

My aim to visit all 41 Hampshire clubs at Level 10 and above in the English pyramid system got off to a gentle start last season, when I reported back from the first nine from January onwards. This leaves me with 32 grounds to shiver at over the next two seasons. Thus, I intend to do a 50/50 split, posting reports from 16 grounds during 2011/12, with the remaining 16 the following year.

The changes from last season are as follows:

OUT! go Andover and Farnborough North End - the former sadly folding after 125 years; the latter being relegated from the Combined Counties League.

IN! comes the student side of Team Solent, who will be playing at a new stadium within walking distance of my house, which is currently nearing completion (I mean the stadium, not my house).

The only other changes concern Hamble ASSC (now known as GE Hamble), and various promotions, relegations and divisional swaps involving Saints, AFC Totton, Fleet Town, Brockenhurst and Horndean.

The current full list of Level 1-10 Hampshire sides is typed out below. Those I have already visited are in bold.

Fixtures for the top four divisions can be found via any half-decent British newspaper's sports pages.

Step 1. Premiership
None

2. Championship
Portsmouth
Southampton

3. League One
None

4. League Two
Aldershot Town

5. Conference
None

6. Conference South
Basingstoke Town
Eastleigh (Jan 2011)
Farnborough
Havant & Waterlooville

7. Southern League Premier Division
Bashley
AFC Totton (Jan 2011)

8. Southern League Division One South & West
Gosport Borough
Sholing

8. Southern League Division One Central
Fleet Town (Apr 2011)

9. Wessex League Premier Division
Alresford Town
Alton Town
Blackfield & Langley
Fareham Town (Jan 2011)
Fawley
GE Hamble
Hayling United
Horndean (Apr 2011)
Lymington Town
Moneyfields
New Milton Town
Romsey Town (Feb 2011)
Totton & Eling
Winchester City
9. Combined Counties Premier Division
Cove

10. Wessex League First Division
Andover New Street (Feb 2011)
Brockenhurst (Mar 2011)
Fleet Spurs
Hythe & Dibden
Petersfield Town
AFC Portchester
Ringwood Town
Stockbridge (Mar 2011)
Tadley Calleva
Team Solent
US Portsmouth
Whitchurch United
10. Combined Counties First Division
Eversley
Hartley Wintney

Like I said, it's time to get started again...

The 42 FCs (Hampshire)

Welcome to Totton.

The English league pyramid's apex (the pointy bit at the top) is the FA Premiership. From there, working downwards, come the three divisions of the Football League (Championship, League One and League Two). If you like, you can call them Steps 1-4. After these divisions, what is known as "non-league" begins. There is one national division, known as the Conference (Step 5), then regionalisation comes into being, with Conference North and South at Step 6. These two leagues have their own even more geographically precise feeder leagues, and so it goes on down the leagues, each division becoming more and more compacted into smaller and smaller areas.

My aim, over the next three years or so, is to watch a match at every ground in Hampshire at every level from Step 10 upwards. What follows is a list of all the clubs that are currently involved in my plan, with links to their respective leagues' fixture lists. This is correct for the 2010-11 season - the list is likely to change as clubs drop out or are promoted from even lower leagues.

Fixtures for the top four divisions can be found via any half-decent British newspaper's sports pages.

Step 1. Premiership
None

2. Championship
Portsmouth

3. League One
Southampton

4. League Two
Aldershot Town

5. Conference
None

6. Conference South
Basingstoke Town
Eastleigh
Farnborough
Havant & Waterlooville

7. Southern League Premier Division
Bashley

8. Southern League Division One South & West
Andover
Gosport Borough
Sholing
AFC Totton
8. Isthmian League First Division South
Fleet Town

9. Wessex League Premier Division
Alresford Town
Alton Town
Blackfield & Langley
Brockenhurst
Fareham Town
AFC Fawley
Hamble ASSC
Hayling United
Lymington Town
Moneyfields
New Milton Town
Romsey Town
Totton & Eling
Winchester City
9. Combined Counties Premier Division
Cove

10. Wessex League First Division
Andover New Street
Fleet Spurs
Horndean
Hythe & Dibden
Petersfield Town
AFC Portchester
Ringwood Town
Stockbridge
Tadley Calleva
US Portsmouth
Whitchurch United
10. Combined Counties First Division
Eversley
Farnborough North End
Hartley Wintney

Below these leagues are the county leagues and, well, I have to stop somewhere, so I'll give them a miss for the time being.

Next - the first match report!