Page 12 - Longwell Green Sports v Hengrove Athletc 090923

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HENGROVE ATHLETIC FC

Hengrove Athletic F.C was formed in 1948 from players who were demobbed from National
Service.
As a footnote, there is also wartime history to the club colours of green and white. With the
rationing and many shortages, football shirts were virtually unobtainable so all of the
members of Hengrove Athletic F.C donated an ordinary white shirt and a mother of one of
the players kindly dyed them green in the bath at her Knowle home. The colour green had
no symbolic meaning. It was the only colour available at the time! The founding fathers of
the club then agreed to retain these colours.

A successful application was made to join the Bristol and Suburban League and they were
placed in Division 3 for the start of 1948-49 season. A Reserve XI was then established in
1950 and in the same year Hengrove Hall was rented to hold club meetings and the social
gatherings. The club continued to expand and the ‘A’ XI started in 1953, followed by the
30-plus XI in 1959. These four football teams made the club the largest in the Bristol and
Suburban League at the time – after just eleven years. A ‘B’ XI replaced the 30 plus in 1962.
The long search for a ground came to fruition on Sunday 7 June 1964 when Norton Lane
was officially opened and Hengrove Athletic F.C took up residence. The first XI was accepted
by the Somerset Senior League for the 1974-75 season, where they remained until 2005-
2006 when they were runaway, unbeaten, Premier Division Champions and joined the
Western League for the start of the 2006-07 season.

Recent Times
Our floodlights and stand were installed at the ground in 2007-2008 to achieve the
necessary ground grading of the Western League. The EWW Stand was installed at the
ground in 2012-2013 to enter the FA Cup and future possible promotions.
The first XI finished runners-up in Western League Division One in 2012-2013, achieving
promotion to the Premier Division for the first time. They then lifted the Les Phillips League
Cup in 2015-2016 before winning promotion to the Premier Division again in 2016/17. The
following season, the club finished ninth in the table, their highest position ever, and also
the highest placed Bristol team at this level, before being relegated in season 2018/19.
Manager Jamie Hillman returned to the club in the summer of 2019 and has led the club to
four mid table finishes, two of which were in curtailed seasons due to COVID. The club have
an under-18 side that plays in the Western Counties Floodlight Youth League and a reserve
side that plays in the Bristol & Suburban League Senior Division.
The club is celebrating its 75 anniversary this season.
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