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
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
Olympians
| 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 | [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 | [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
| 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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