Welcome to Through the Turnstile, this series of features are intended to shine the light on some of non-leagues leading stars. This time we are venturing through the turnstile looking at Hamworthy United. (My Partner being a Millwall fan was not overjoyed with this one but lets just hope you guys enjoy it more than her!)

A brief history of the Club

A team was first formed in the 1890’s called Hamworthy St Michael’s, winning their first trophy the Whitehead Minor Cup in the 1899-1900 season. Hamworthy Football Club was formed in 1926, and moved to the present ground The County Ground (formally known as The Nursery) in 1950. Hamworthy United Football Club was formed from a merger between Hamworthy F.C. and Trinidad Old Boys F.C. in 1970/71 after missing the 1969/70 season in the Dorset Combination League due to administration problems. The County Ground was renamed the Specsavers County Ground by the Dorset County Football Association the leaseholders in 2018.

Hamworthy United Football Club, after years of playing on a very difficult pitch, and with very limited facilities and resources, saw things begin to change when the DCFA decided to upgrade the Ground in 2016. This included a new 3-g all weather artificial pitch as well as new floodlights and surrounds. Shortly afterwards the Club received the news that due to the generous legacy of Hamworthy stalwart Stan Wallis and his wife Betty, together with a grant from the Football Stadia Foundation Fund meant that they at long last would be able to double the size of the Clubhouse and Bar to generate more income. Harry Redknapp performed the opening ceremony of the Clubhouse in October 2017 followed by a match between Hamworthy United and a Dorset Representative Team. Other changes at that time saw the Club become a Limited Company headed by Steve Harvey as Chairman and four other Directors including the Club President Bruce Scammell. Unfortunately, due to ill health Steve had to relinquish his position as Chairman in 2020, and the position was filled by Steve Mitchener, another Hamworthy United stalwart of many years. 

(Source: Hamworthy United)

Club legends (as told by Fan Simon Bayes)

Jimmy Gleeson & Lee Francis are both great servants to the club and always take time to speak to other fans at the club. They are quality players at Wessex league level who give their all for the club. They always leave everything out on the pitch which is exactly what you want as a fan.

Kit

2024/2025 Replica Kit – £30 (Junior), £35 (Adult)

https://footballkitsdirect.com/collections/hamworthy-united/products/hamworthy-united-home-shirt

Stadium info

The County Ground (BH15 4BF)
Capacity – 2000 ( 200 💺)
Number of stands – 2
Artificial Turf

Entry Price

Matchday Tickets
Wessex 1:
Adults £7
Concessions £4
U18s £1

DPL:
Adults £4
Concessions £3
U18s £1

Matchday Programme
Digital – FREE

Stadium Shop

Located inside the clubhouse, all of these items are available to purchase in person on a matchday. Why not go the whole hog and grab one of each, A beanie, A shirt, Scarf, Pin badge, Pendant and Mug!

Price list:
Beanie hat – £8.50
Scarf – £15
Pennant – £12.50
Badge – £4
Coffee Mug – £10
Game shirt – as per footballkitsdirect.com website

Located online there are other items up for grabs including a very smart looking Polo and some beautiful blue playing shorts!

Click the photo below which will whirl you away to the website (simples)

Itssssss pin badge corner…and what do we have here! A ton of pin badges, cracking stuff – make sure you grab yourself one of these!

https://www.hamworthyunitedfc.com/product-page/hammers-pin-badge

Price – £4

Drinks

Get the drinks in – check out this modern lovely bright and large clubhouse/bar where there is plenty of space to enjoy a drink or two.

The selection of drinks on offer are very decent too with some rather interesting options for you Cider (Thatchers) drinkers out there!

So if you are heading to a game at Hamworthy this season, make sure you get here nice and early so you can enjoy all of the wonderful drinks they have to offer + as we all know is that every penny helps in non-league so why not give the club the money that would make such a difference to them.

Food

Two hatches lead to all of your culinary needs and desires…

One located inside and the other outside, these two hatches provude all of the food you could ever want or dream for. Burgers, sausage rolls, Hot dogs, crisps and more. The overall pricing of the items are very reasonable and just means that you can take the rest of your money and go and spend that in the bar instead – win win!

Now lets all gather round and take a peek at where Hamworthy sit in the only table that truly matters…the Fab 4!

A mixed bag in terms of league positions for Hamworthy – extremely cheap for a cup of tea and burger and chips and a middle of the road position for the two alcoholic drinks. Overall a very good offering from the club, especially if you eat at the football as for £5.50 a burger and chips is cracking value.

Top 3 all time players (as told by fan Simon Churchill)

Shane Murphy, Billy Walker and Cam Munn

My top 3 current favourite players are difficult as I havnt seen the new team yet but my top 3 all-time favourite players who I’ve seen wear a Hamworthy shirt are:

Shane Murphy – terrific shot stopper, very vocal keeper who organises his team from the back and knows how to save a penalty

Billy Walker – simply because he gives it everything every single game

Cam munn – he was a very young lad the first game we saw and to see him progress over the last 4 seasons to where he is today is fantastic.

Press Play!

If you fancy checking out Hamworthy United from afar why not check out their Youtube channel which hosts all of their matchday highlights. The addition of post-match interviews into the highlights is a nice touch and gives the videos a more ‘Match of the day’ segment vibe which works quite nicely.

Views from the Staff

Q) What does your role entail at the club?
My role at the club is the President & Director which entails me to be aware of decisions in running the football club off the pitch as I have been involved for over 40 years & was previously the Chairman for 7 to 8 years 

Q) What is it like working at Hamworthy United?
It’s a very enjoyable and rewarding experience being involved & very satisfying when we have had some success over the past few years 

Q) What is the hardest part of working at a non league club?
The hardest part of the club is fund raising and getting more support watching the teams play 

Q) What does a matchday look like?
Match day involves meeting and greeting our supporters and club officials from our opponents before & after the game & at halftime as well as creating a special atmosphere with our players & supporters.

Q) What would you say to someone who was thinking of coming to a game?
If any was wanting to come to one of our games then they would be most welcome to watch a great game of football at a very reasonable price with wonderful facilities and a lovely club house with a friendly supporters in a great atmosphere

Q) What does your role entail at the club?
I am apart of the Commercial and Social Media team, I am on the Social Media side of the team.

Q) What is it like working at Hamworthy United?
It is very enjoyable, I love every minute of it, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes with what has happened in recent years so we are rebuilding the club on and off the pitch. And Social Media has a massive part to play in the rebuild.

Q) What is the hardest part of working at a non league club?
I think the hardest part of working at non league club is trying to get the club the recognition it deserves with the local people, so many people like myself before i started working in non league have a mindset where they don’t really care about football lower than their team, and it’s hard to Try encourage them fans to come and watch your local team that you love. I used to do a lot of work for AFC Bournemouth and the Football Supporters Federation, and I now use these skills to benefit my local club.

Q) What does a matchday look like?
Matchday vibes are always good at Hamworthy United, everyone is super friendly and you can talk for hours with them. Good food and good beer in the clubhouse, We do struggle with numbers due to the amount of local clubs in a short radius but we do get decent numbers, just hope when we start to get going back in Wessex One, the numbers will start to increase again.

Q) What would you say to someone who was thinking of coming to a game?
Definitely come down to the County Ground. You will love it, friendly staff all around the ground, clean environment, and the first impression of the ground you will love. We pride ourselves on that first impression and the matchday experience, once a hammer, always a hammer! You will always want to come back!

Q) What does your role entail at the club?  
I am the Chairman of Hamworthy United Football Club Limited, and have been since January 2020. I am in my 51st year at the club !

My role is to ensure the efficient running of the club, and functions business (Hamworthy Party Venue) are run correctly, and in conjunction with other Directors, ensure our high standards are maintained.

Q) What is it like working at Hamworthy United?
The word ‘working’ is misleading for me, as I have offered my services to the club for free. I was bar steward for 20 years whilst in full time employment, and it was always a pleasure to run the bar etc.

Now we have a wonderful team taking care of all the hospitality, who we are very proud of, and it remains a very friendly and welcoming environment.

Q) What is the hardest part of working at a non league club? 
The hardest part about working at a non-league club is trying to keep on top of everyday things I would say as the club isn’t open during the day. We rely heavily on volunteers to help us out and most of the club directors have day jobs. It’s a challenge but usually an enjoyable one ?

Q) What does a matchday look like? 
Matchdays are generally exciting and busy days, ones which we enjoy the most I think ? The kitchen and bar are serving all day, and we have a wonderful beer garden which overlooks the pitch, which can always provide a great atmosphere.

Regardless of what happens out on the pitch, come the final whistle, there is always a great atmosphere in the clubhouse afterwards, and a chance to make new friends, with visiting teams and supporters.

Q) What would you say to someone who was thinking of coming to a game?
I would encourage any football fan to visit Hamworthy United because it is such a friendly club, always trying to encourage families and children to the matches. Always keen to invite a local youth team to act as mascots on match days.

Q) Quite simply – Why Hamworthy?
Hamworthy because I you to play for them and my family from hamworthy.

Q) What is it that keeps you coming back each week?
Loyalty.

Q) What is so special about a matchday for you?
Enjoying a good game and obviously winning.

Q) Why should someone who has never come to a game come to watch Hamworthy?
We are a good welcoming club to anyone who comes to watch us very friendly and good facilities and good football.

Q) Any top tips for those who havent experienced non-league football?
Just enjoy and try and get involved.

View from the fans

Q) How did you become a fan of Hamworthy United and for how long have you been one?
I became a Hamworthy fan after attending a Poole Town game and having a argument with a fan there and some one behind me after the game asked me about it who was a hammers fan invited to a game the following week and I’ve been into my 7th season of watching them now.

Q) What does a regular matchday look like for you?
Match day up by 10am. Get M2 to Poole then the number 8 to near the ground, burger and chips with a beer before the game. (I attend the games with my youngest daughter) I then do the same route home after trying to get some photos with some players.

Q) Non-league football is starting to grow in popularity, why do you think this is?
Non league football is getting more popular as higher league clubs are pricey to watch and it’s a very good quality to watch, also with most clubs being very community based and really do look after their fans.

Q) What would you say to someone who is considering attending a Hamworthy United game?
Go and watch the hammers and you’ll be so surprised by quality of what you watch and very appreciative people at the club and good quality food and beverages

Q) What has been your favourite moment as a fan to date?
Knocking Merthyr town out of fa cup and beating Southall on penalties in FA vase quarter finals

Future plans as told by Chairman Steve Mitchener

Q) What does the 5 year plan for the club look like? 

The 5 year plan is currently a blank piece of A4 paper !

Following our withdrawal from the Southern League Division One South (NLS Step 4) in mid-season back in October, and the recent re-election to Wessex League Division One (NLS Step 6) for the start of this season, at least it gives us a starting point in order to look forward ?

In effect a two division relegation, however, we start that plan with an aim to get back into the Wessex Premier League within the next 5 years, a division we win back in 2021/22 season.

The stadium is owned by the Local authority, however, we are tenants to the Dorset County FA so we have no opportunity to directly change or alter anything, however, we do work with the Dorset FA to make the ground as welcoming and as impressive as possible. It currently attains a Step 4 grading.

We are limited to how much time we are allowed on the 3G surface, however, we have recruited new U18’s, U15’s and U14’s youth teams for the coming season. 

The community projects are usually conducted and arranged by the Dorset FA as we are, as I said, limited to pitch time.

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So that brings us to the end yet another ‘Through the Turnstile’ I have found this one very interesting as Hamworthy was a team that I personally had never heard of so the enjoyment of being introduced to the club and then finding out more about them was both interesting and exciting to me. The club seems to have some great people at its very core, with people like Chris leading the way for the future of the club, i can see only good things for the future of the club.

As Steve mentioned above, the clubs future plans are a blank page currently which is both worrying and exciting. I just feel it feeds into the fact that the possibilities are endless and that Hamworthy are definitely one to keep an eye on.

Until next time!

Special thanks to @Chrisparker2017 for the Main Graphic Photos and WB Photographic for other photos throughout.

Keep up to date with all of the clubs social media here!