Club History - A brief history of Trojans Football Club
Full history archives can be found by clicking here

AUTHOR - PETE REID

This is not intended to be a definitive history of the Trojans Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Hampshire, but more a selection of the highlights of the early years and a brief review of the past few years.
 

The Beginning

 On the 3rd of September 1874 a meeting was held at the Antelope Hotel, Southampton, by members of a previous club (thought to be "The Pirates"), with a view to forming the "Trojans".    H F Gibbs was voted the first Captain of the Club and the Club colours were voted as blue and red. It was agreed that the first annual subscription should be five shillings per year. The first rugby games of the Club were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park, Southampton.
 
The first Annual Meeting of the Club took place on the 24th September 1875 when the Treasurer reported a small credit balance of five pence halfpenny (2.29p). The results for the 1874/75 season produced five victories and three defeats.
 
The Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1881.
 

Change the Laws
 

 At a committee Meeting on the 5^th September 1874 the Playing Rules of Rugby Football were read through and the worthy members of the Trojans decided to make an amendment to Rule number 15 which read "It is lawful to run in anywhere across the goal line". The addition made by the Trojans at that stage was "except between the goal posts". The Club soon found it necessary to alter this!
 

The First Results
 

Southsea (A) lost by two punts out and seven touch downs
Salisbury (A) Won by one goal and two touch downs to nil.
Salisbury (H) Lost by one goal, one try and two touch downs to two tries and four touch downs.
Magpies Won by three tries and seven touch downs to nil.
Southsea (H) Won by one goal to nil
Springhill Won by one goal and three touch downs to one goal.
Royal Academy Gosport Lost by four tries and six touch downs to one try.

First Floodlit game
 

 On the evening of 28th November 1878, a match was played against the Rovers Football Club by electric light, having been cancelled the night before because of rain. This was the first exhibition of electric light in Southampton, and believed to be the first ever game of rugby under lights. The local newspaper reported that "at times the light was very brilliant and players could be seen plainly".
 

Ban the Game!

 During the 1880 season, S E Gibbs died as a result of an injury while playing against Romsey. There was much local comment and the then Mayor of Southampton issued a handbill, published in full in "The Times", condemning the game as follows:
 
"The Mayor in consequence of the many serious accidents and the recent deplorable death in Southampton resulting from the dangerous practice of playing football requests the Heads of Families, the Principals of Scholastic Establishments in the Town and Members of Clubs to take such steps as may be necessary for preventing the game being played in future according to Rugby Union, Association and other rules of a dangerous character. The Mayor considers it his duty to use every means in his power for prohibiting the game as hitherto played being continued in the Porters Meadow field or upon any other of the Public lands in Southampton".
 
At the Committee Meeting of 16^th December 1880 "It was decided to play as usual unless we found out before that the Mayor had given any instruction to the police. In that case it was thought best to summons any offending "arm of the law" for assault". 

The Formation of the Hampshire Rugby Football Union

 At the Trojan Club's initiative, a meeting was held on 13th April 1883 to discuss the formation of "The Hampshire County Rugby Football Union". In the first season of the County Club, at least seven Trojans represented the County.
 
In 1901 County activities ceased and it was again the Trojans, along with United Services, who, in 1910, convened a meeting at the Trojans Club for the purpose of forming a Rugby Football Union in Hampshire.
 
Over 60 Trojan members have represented the county at rugby.

“International” Football"

Although a rugby club, Trojans were known, on occasions, to play with the round ball. The following team was selected to play Curries French team (from Havre) on the New Football Ground, Archers Road (the Dell) on Tuesday 1^st November 1898. Scotney, goal, Denning & Maundrell, backs, Densham, Ellerby & Colson, halfs, Ellaby, Page, Macdonald, Gamble & Hussey (councillor and later Sir George), forwards. Trojans were allowed to take half the gate money. The Echo reported this as a game against a team of French players and thus it claimed the honour of being the first international match played at the Dell.

The First Hampshire Cup

 In May 1888 the Trojans Committee proposed the starting of a Rugby Union Cup Competition in the interests of Rugby Football. The County Challenge Cup (Presented by Tankerville Chamberlayne M.P., President of Trojans, and pictured here) was started in the 1889/1890 season and the Club entered the same. During this year, not only was the pitch enclosed by rope,  but a charge of sixpence was made to all spectators. The Cup was duly won by Trojans in March 1890. Whether it was ever played for again is not sure as, in 1891, Trojans decided not to enter because " it was felt that it was a farce putting up the cup at the fag end of the season to be competed for by three clubs"! The present whereabouts of the grand cup is not known, although it is believed it was presented back to Tankerville Chamberlayne.

Service to the County

 As well as forming the County Union (twice), Trojan members have served the County well and it can be said that there has always been a Trojan involved in Hampshire Rugby since its formation.

In particular, over the 108 active years of the Union, six Trojan members have served as President of the Union serving a total of 49 years. Six Secretaries served a total of 36 years and for the first sixty-two years of County representation on the RFU Committee the Hampshire representative was a Trojan.

Mr. Hampshire

 There can be no more respected and faithful servant of the County and the Game than one particular Trojan, Dudley Kemp, as the following record illustrates -

Captain of Trojans 1927-34, 1935-38
Captain of Hampshire 1935
Played for England 1935.
Barbarian
President of the Rugby Football Union 1969
Member of the International Board 1971-77
Hampshire representative on the RFU Committee 1955-69
President HRFU 1973-76
Secretary HRFU 1946-67
Assistant Secretary HRFU 1967-68
Team Secretary HRFU 1946-53
Match Secretary HRFU 1953-56

 Dudley died at his home in Devon in January 2003 aged 93. 

Doggy Spectators

 During a match between Trojans and Portsmouth Victoria in 1886, the ball was kicked into the Trojans' in-goal area where it rebounded off a stray dog. One of the Portsmouth players gathered it and touched down to claim a try. The Trojans protested, and claimed "dead-ball" the ball having struck a "spectator". The objection was later referred to the RFU Committee who ruled that the try should stand, as dogs could not be classed as spectators! 

The Barbarians

 H A Haigh-Smith was elected Trojans Captain in 1912. He was instrumental in forming the Barbarians Club and was later made president of that Club. He was also assistant Manager of the Lions tour in 1935.

Trojans played the Barbarians on January 9^th 1895 but the result does not appear to have been recorded for posterity!

Trojans Football Club Season 1893 - 94

The Wars!

 Trojans Rugby had to be suspended three times because of wars - in 1897 because of the Boer War, 1914, the Great War and 1939 the World War.

Moving Home

Although always considered a Southampton Club, Trojans actually now play in the Test Valley District. Over the years there have been many homes -

1874 the first games were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park on Queens Terrace. (by the Dock Gates) 
1884 the Club donated the sum of two guineas towards the purchase of the proposed Cricket Ground in Bannister Park, until recently, the County Cricket Ground, and commenced playing rugby there in the 1884/85 season. 
1897 Freemantle Ground, Stafford Road 
1905 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road
 1923 G H Brown's farm in Wide Lane, Swathling with Atlantic Park (now Southampton Airport) being used for the dressing accommodation.
 1929 Southampton Stadium, Banister Road
 1931 Bannister Court as well as G H Brown's farm
 1933 11 acres of land purchased in Cemetery Road, Swaythling (sold in 1945)
 1946 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road
 1947 Sports Centre, Southampton
 1958 Stoneham Park (the present ground). The ground, 22.8 acres, was purchased in 1953 for £1,205 and was another example of the members' foresight, as the timber in the ground was sold for sums almost sufficient to cover the cost of purchase!  In 1958, a temporary corrugated iron changing room was completed and the foundations of the pavilion commenced. The temporary iron shed is still in existence, now being used as the groundsman's shed, and the original concrete plunge bath is still there. The pavilion was officially opened by A.T. Voyce, President of the Rugby Football Union, on 27^th December 1960.
 

The Prime Years

Throughout the early and mid 1900s, Trojans went from strength to strength and provided many County Players as well a number of Internationals.
 

The modern peak was probably reached in the early 1960s when the Club could justifiably consider itself to be the premier civilian rugby club in the South of England (outside London). In 1961, seven rugby sides were fielded with over 200 players available for selection.

The Lean Years

There were many reasons for the decline from that peak which started slowly in the late 60s and increased in momentum through the 70s. More local clubs, easier transport and a change of working patterns (Trojans being very much a "transit camp" in those days) were some of them. The introduction of leagues in 1987 hit the Club at the worst possible time. In the first year, the Club was put into London Division 3 but could not cope at that level and dropped straight into Hampshire Division One. Luck was also in short supply when the Club, having finished fifth, seventh from bottom (!), the team was still relegated to Hampshire Division Two (a quirk of the league structure). There the Club stayed, battling for promotion with the other strong clubs to be relegated in the mass drop, until the 1992/93 season when the league was won with a record of played 10, won 10, for 353, against 37 which included a league record win of 91-0 against Waterlooville.

Three seasons were spent in Hampshire One but the 1995/96 season saw what was probably the strongest ever Hampshire Division 1 and relegation again befell the team. 1996/97 season saw us just lose out on promotion but success was achieved in 1997/98.

Success was achieved in the 2000/2001 season when promotion was achieved to London Division 4SW (The old Division 3SW having been broken into two divisions). The first season at that level was quite successful, ending mid-table, but the next was not when Hampshire 1 again beckoned. Competition is now maintained throughout the Senior Club with the 2^nd XV being in the Hampshire London Division merit table and the 3^rd XV being in the Hampshire Division 1 merit table.

One significant advance was the introduction of Women's rugby which promises to be developed to one of the strongest teams in Hampshire. The end of the 2001/2002 season saw them promoted to National League 2 SE.

To ensure continuity throughout the Club, an Academy, for under 18s, was set up in the 2001/2002 season.