Bournemouth Poppies

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Ground: Victoria Park, Namu Road, Winton, Bournemouth, BH9 2RE

Telephone: 01202 515123

Chairman: Bob Corbin

Secretary: Mike Robins

Manager: James Wood

Directions to ground:

From the University roundabout on Wallisdown Road, if you were coming from the Bournemouth side, take the second exit, and follow the road down to a set of traffic lights.

At the traffic lights, turn right, and follow the road round to the right.

Turn right into Namu Road, where you will see a sign for Victoria Park.

At the end of Namu Road, the road continues round to the right to the entrance to the ground.

Club History:

The Club was founded in 1875, the 11th September to be precise, and is one of the oldest clubs in the country being Founder Members of the Football Association, the Hampshire FA and the Bournemouth FA.

They were also founder members of the Hampshire League and up to joining the Wessex League in 1986 had spent their entire existence in the Hampshire League, except for a short spell at the turn of the century.

The Club has had three homes during it’s history with their first ground being at a place called East Common near the railway station.

Dean Park was the next home before they moved to Victoria Park which was made into a football ground from an old farmer’s field.

The first taste of County success came when they won the West Division in 1905 and again in 1910.

They became County Division Champions either side of the Great War in 1914 and 1922.

In 1929 they were relegated into the newly formed Division 2 but regained premier status winning the Division 2 Championship in 1932.

The Club languished in the bottom half of the table for several seasons before finally finding themselves back in Division 2 when football restarted after the Second World War.

The Club recovered some of it’s past glories by winning the Hampshire Intermediate Cup in 1950 and again in 1970 and 1972.

Division 1 status was regained for the 1979/80 season but relegation quickly followed in 1980/81 and then again in 1982/83 when they slipped into Division 3 where they remained until they were admitted to the newly formed Wessex League in 1985.

Although a Jewson Wessex League Championship has remained elusive “the Poppies” have come close on at least two occasions with a 3rd place in 1990/91 under the guidance of Tommy Taylor and a creditable runners up spot in 1994/5 to Fleet Town when Alex Pike was the manager.

Earlier in the clubs history you can trace them to being the Club to play under experimental electric lights on November 1878.

The Club have also had three name changes, Bournemouth Rovers, Bournemouth Wanderers and now Bournemouth Poppies.

As well as this the Club have also had a change of colour several times, adopting the colour scarlet in season 1895/6, the Club since that date being known as the Poppies.

One of the Clubs most famous members has been Mr William Pickford who later became Chairman of the English Football Association.

Being the instigator of the Pickford Cup, which can still be played for at the present time.

The present Victoria Road ground was given to the Club by Mr J Joy, a local landowner and supporter of the Club.

The ground was bought by Bournemouth Council after the Second World War for £4,500 providing a lease on a peppercorn rent.

Club honours:

1986-87 Founder members of Wessex League

1994-95 Wessex League runner-up

FA Records

F.A. CUP

1946-47 PRE POOLE TOWN H 2-4

1947-48 PRE POOLE TOWN A 2-3

1948-49 EP WEYMOUTH A 3-8

1949-50 EP BOURNEMOUTH GASWORKS ATHLETIC H 1-0

PRE THORNYCROFT ATHLETIC H 5-2

1Q PORTLAND UNITED H 3-1

2Q COWES H 3-3

2Qr COWES A 0-4

1950-51 PRE COWES A 1-1

PREr COWES H 4-2

1Q BLANDFORD UNITED A 2-6

1989-90 PRE BRACKNELL TOWN H 2-0

1Q WITNEY TOWN A 0-1

1990-91 PRE THATCHAM TOWN H 1-0

1Q ABINGDON TOWN H 2-1

2Q SALISBURY A 0-4

1991-92 PRE ABINGDON TOWN H 1-2

1992-93 PRE WIMBORNE TOWN A 1-1

PREr WIMBORNE TOWN H 1-3

1993-94 PRE BROCKENHURST H 0-1

1994-95 PRE BASINGSTOKE TOWN H 0-0

PREr BASINGSTOKE TOWN A 1-3

1995-96 PRE WIMBORNE TOWN H 0-4

1996-97 PRE ABINGDON TOWN H 1-3

1997-98 PRE GOSPORT BOROUGH H 2-4

1998-99 1Q TAUNTON TOWN A 0-4

1999-00 PRE CHIPPENHAM TOWN A 0-1

2000-01 PRE DOWNTON A 0-4

2001-02 PRE DORCHESTER TOWN H 3-1

1Q CIRENCESTER TOWN A 0-5

2002-03 PRE BRIDGWATER TOWN H 3-0

1Q ST BLAZEY A 0-1

2003-04 PRE TAUNTON TOWN A 1-1

PREr TAUNTON TOWN H 0-5

F.A. VASE

1987-88 EP BRIDPORT A 2-3

1988-89 EP FIRST TOWER UNITED A 1-0

PRE PORTSMOUTH ROYAL NAVY H 2-2

PREr PORTSMOUTH ROYAL NAVY A 3-2

1 BICESTER TOWN H 0-2

1989-90 PRE WESTBURY UNITED A 6-0

1 SHOLING SPORTS H 1-3

1990-91 PRE VALE RECREATION A 1-0

1 THAME UNITED A 1-0

2 NEWQUAY A 0-1

1991-92 PRE WESTBURY UNITED A 1-0

1 WITNEY TOWN A 3-4

1992-93 PRE WOLLEN SPORTS A 3-2

1 GOSPORT BOROUGH A 4-2

2 HARTLEY WINTNEY A 1-3

1993-94 PRE FIRST TOWER UNITED H 0-1

1994-95 PRE KINTBURY RANGERS A 3-2

1 BECKENHAM TOWN H 5-0

2 TORPOINT ATHLETIC H 4-3

3 CROYDON H 1-2

1995-96 2Q FIRST TOWER UNITED A 2-1

1 BURGESS HILL TOWN A 1-2

1996-97 1Q LAMBOURN SPORTS A 1-0

2Q NORTH LEIGH A 0-2

1997-98 2Q WANTAGE TOWN H 4-1

1 BODMIN TOWN A 0-2

1998-99 2Q SANDHURST TOWN A 3-4

1999-00 2Q HALLEN H 2-0

1 DAWLISH TOWN A 0-1

2000-01 2Q CALNE TOWN H 1-1

2Qr CALNE TOWN A 1-1 Bournemouth won 6-5 on penalties

1 ST BLAZEY A 1-4

2001-02 2Q BRIDPORT H 0-2

2002-03 2Q EXMOUTH TOWN A 1-0

1 CLEVEDON UNITED A 2-1

2 WELTON ROVERS A 1-2

2003-04 1Q BRIDGWATER TOWN A 2-1

2Q PAULTON ROVERS H 0-1