FORDINGBRIDGE Turks Football Club is celebrating a milestone year - its 150th anniversary.

A new display detailing the history of the club is on show in Fordingbridge Museum.

The club was formed in 1868, and is believed to be the oldest football club in Hampshire, and one of the oldest clubs in the world, as well as being a founding member of the Hampshire Football Association.

The chairman of Fordingbridge Turks, Mike Penton, said: “To be in the committee at this time means a lot. I’m really proud to be involved. The club has grown immensely over the last five years.

“We have 18 teams and plan to expand next year to under sevens and eights, and definitely focusing on growing the girls game.”

The origin of the team’s name relates to the siege of Plevna in Romania when 40,000 Turkish soldiers held up no less than four million Russians for six months.

In 1880, seven teams, including Fordingbridge, competed for the Basingstoke Football Cup.

Fordingbridge won the final at Basingstoke by 1-0, defying the odds, and repeated their success the following year.

The cup was won outright and has been held by the club ever since. This feat was likened to the Turks’ heroic stand against the Russians and the Fordingbridge Turks Football Club was born.

Mike added: “It is such a community club it is great for everybody in Fordingbridge to be involved. It is nice to get the word out [about the club’s history] to a wider audience.”

The club, which is run entirely by volunteers, has more than 250 members ranging from youth to adult teams.

Games are played on the Recreation Ground as well as at Burgate School and Fordingbridge Junior School but the club would love to have a home of its own.

Melanie Gill, who is a welfare officer at the club, said: “We are the one of the oldest clubs in the world without a pitch of our own which is something we would like to change.”

Mike says it is “quite disappointing”

that the club is not playing in the Hampshire League, but they are restricted by not having their own ground.

A Festival of Football is being held on Saturday, May 19, at the Recreation Ground.

Anyone interested in joining the club or volunteering email cwo.ftfc@gmail.com