Southampton FC (Sparsholt) beat Conference League Havant and Waterlooville 2-0 in the Hampshire Midweek Floodlit Cup final held at Petersfield Town Football Club recently.

Goals from Michael Donovan and Charlie Gunson put Sparsholt ahead within the first 20 minutes of the game, giving the Sparsholt boys a strong foothold which they never looked like releasing.

Manager Neil Benson said: “Retaining this title is the culmination of a fantastic season with a number of the players on the programme representing Southampton Football Club at Academy level. We had numerous boys selected for the Hampshire Colleges team, the pinnacle of which was getting Charlie Gunson and Mark Childs selected to represent the England Schoolboys side. We also have a number of players on the programme currently being looked at by a number of professional clubs.”

Within the last few months Sparsholt College’s Football Academy has hosted a number of open days and trials and there has been enormous interest. Players of all levels are catered for from the elite squad, with direct links to Southampton Football Club, through to keen footballers who are playing at community level. A Level 3 or Level 2 Diploma is built around the football programme for students to attain a nationally recognised sporting qualification which can lead to further study or employment.

Find out more about our Football Academy