Southampton Athletic Club
 | |
| 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 |
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.
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
[edit]Olympians
[edit]| Athlete | Club | Events | Games | Medals/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Simmons | Southampton AAC | high jump | 1928 | |
| Dave Dear | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | 4x100m relay | 1972 | [8] |
| Donna Hartley | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | 200m, 400m, 4x400m 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 |
400m, 4x400m relay | 1984, 1988 | .svg){kind=icon} [11]
|
| Kriss Akabusi | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. Team Solent |
400m, 4x400m relay | 1984, 1988, 1992 | [12]
|
| Paul Harmsworth | Team Solent | 4x400m relay | 1988 | [13] |
| Roger Black | Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. Team Solent |
400m, 4x400m 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. | 800m | 1994 | |
| Melanie Purkiss | Team Solent | 4x400m | 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 Atheltic 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.
- ^ a b c "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
- ^ Donna Hartley at Power of 10
- ^ Christine Benning at Power of 10
- ^ Todd Bennett at Power of 10
- ^ Kriss Akabusi at Power of 10
- ^ Paul Harmsworth at Power of 10
- ^ Roger Black at Power of 10
- ^ Mahamed Mahamed at Power of 10