Southampton Athletic Club (Southampton AC) is an athletics club based in Southampton, England. It is based at the Southampton Sports Centre. [1] It's men compete in the British Athletics League National Division One and women in UK Women's Athletic League Division 1. The club also completes in the Southern Athletics League.
 | |
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Ground | Southampton Athletics Track |
| Location | Thornhill Road, Southampton SO16 7AY, England |
| Coordinates | 50°56′30″N 1°25′06″W / 50.94167°N 1.41833°W |
| Website | official website |
History
edit
The origins of the club have been littered with various clubs and amalgamations, starting with the creation of two clubs; the Southampton Amateur Athletic Club (founded in 1880) and the Southampton Harriers (believed to be founded in 1884 based on their second annual sport event in 1885).[2]
The two clubs merged in 1893 to become the Hampshire Amateur Athletic Club, with the annual sports events taking place at Westwood Park[3] but due to confusion with the Hampshire Amateur Athletic Association the club reverted back to the name of Southampton Amateur Athletic Club on 15 February 1932.[4] A ladies section was added on 14 December 1949.[5]
On 1 December 1970 the club amalgamated with Eastleigh A.A.C. to become the Southampton and Eastleigh A.A.C.,[5] followed by Southampton City AC in circa.1988, around the same time that a new club called Team Solent were founded.[6]
In November 2004 Southampton City merged with Team Solent, resulting in another name change to Team Southampton.[5] One final amalgamation took place on 1 April 2010, this time with Southampton Running Club to form the present day name.[7]
Notable athletes
editOlympians
edit| Athlete | Club | Events | Games | Medals/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Simmons | Southampton AAC | high jump | 1928 | |
| Dave Dear | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | 4 × 100 m relay | 1972 | [8] |
| Donna Hartley | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | 200 m, 400 m, 4 × 400 m relay | 1972, 1976, 1980 | .svg){kind=icon} [9] |
| Christine Benning | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | 1500 metres | 1984 | [10] |
| Todd Bennett | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. Team Solent | 400 m, 4 × 400 m relay | 1984, 1988 | .svg){kind=icon} [11] |
| Kriss Akabusi | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. Team Solent | 400 m, 4 × 400 m relay | 1984, 1988, 1992 | [12] |
| Paul Harmsworth | Team Solent | 4 × 400 m relay | 1988 | [13] |
| Roger Black | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. Team Solent | 400 m, 4 × 400 m relay | 1992, 1996 | [14] |
| Mahamed Mahamed | Southampton AC | marathon | 2024 | [15] |
Commonwealth Games
edit| Athlete | Club | Events | Games | Medals/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Drayton | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | decathlon | 1978 | |
| Dawn Gandy | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | 800 m | 1994 | |
| Melanie Purkiss | Team Solent | 4 × 400 m | 2002 | |
| Grace Clements | Southampton AC | heptathlon | 2010 |
References
edit- ↑ Franklin, James (7 February 2014). "Darren Campbell backs £200k bid to get Southampton Sports Centre back on track". Daily Echo. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
- ↑ "Southampton Amateur Athletic Club". Hampshire Independent. 4 September 1880. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Hampshire Amateur Athletic Club". Sporting Life. 5 April 1893. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Southampton Club Drops County Name". Hampshire Advertiser. 20 February 1932. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- 1 2 3 "Club history". Southampton Athletic Club. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ↑ "Black Magic". Belfast News-Letter. 19 September 1986. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Club Info". Southampton Athletic Club. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
- ↑ David Dear at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Donna Hartley at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Christine Benning at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Todd Bennett at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Kriss Akabusi at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Paul Harmsworth at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Roger Black at Power of 10 (archived)
- ↑ Mahamed Mahamed at Power of 10 (archived)