Southampton FC Women

For readers of a certain age Southampton Football Club will always be associated with The Dell; the atmospheric old stadium that the Saints called home virtually from their inception until they left the place in 2001. There had been talk of leaving the famous old ground as early as the 1980s but the powers that be could never quite find the right location. That all changed when the council offered them ground in the heart of the city and work began on building the new ground in 1999. Both the ground and the club itself get their names from the same place, though in the case of the club it’s actually their nickname. Formed in 1885 as St. Mary’s Church Of England Young Men’s Association, they became St. Mary’s FC in 1887, Southampton St. Mary’s in 1894 and simply Southampton FC in 1896. The fact that they were formed as a church football team is why they are known colloquially as ‘The Saints’ and the location of the new stadium as being close to St. Mary’s church, where the club was formed, is the reason behind its name.