Why ambitious Fleetlands are hoping the FA will treat them as a ‘special' case

That’s the view of Fleetlands chairman Iain Sellstrom during a busy period for the ambitious Hampshire Premier League club.

The Coptermen’s season has been paused since before Christmas and is almost certain to be declared null and void for the second year running due to the pandemic.

But while on-field action has been minimal since the end of last October, off the field few local football clubs can have been as busy.

Work will soon start on a £100,000 project to build a new changing room block with showers and toilets. They are presently around £15,000 short, but will ‘beg, borrow or steal’ to reach their target; The club are launching a ladies team for the first time to play in the Hampshire County Women’s League in 2021/22; The Gosport-based club are also making plans to extend their Youth Development Centre under Steve King, welcoming three new teams for next season and also aiming to create under-17s and under-18s squads as well; There are also plans to set up a disability side in a bid to further strengthen links with their local communities.

Ben Evans, who has been managing Gosport Borough’s women’s team, will be in charge of the ladies team. He is no stranger to Fleetlands, as he is currently assistant manager of the men’s reserves.

The ladies will play home games on Sundays at Lederle Lane, alternating weekends with Gosport, Fareham & Solent Sunday League side Sands United who last summer entered into a ground sharing arrangement.

‘Setting up a ladies team, bringing in the under-17s and 18s, extending the youth section between 9-15, building the new changing room block … that’s enough for one season,’ said Sellstrom.

‘We’ll get all that done and look at the disability team for 22/23.’

Sellstrom had been hopeful that work could this month start on the changing room rebuild.

A drainage problem means work has been delayed, but the chairman is hopeful it can begin soon.

If and when Fleetlands are promoted to the Wessex League, that will release a further £50,000 of funding from the Football Foundation for a new clubhouse lounge/bar area.

‘I have never hidden the fact that when I came here we had a five-year plan to get into the Wessex League,’ ex-Gosport Borough chairman Sellstrom said. ‘That still remains.

‘It’s a really smashing club, no-one’s got a bad word to say about Fleetlands. We’ve got the right principles here, the right people.

‘There’s some good clubs close to us - Gosport, Fareham, Portchester - but I think there’s room for us as well.’

If the 2020/21 HPL season at Senior Division level is declared null and void, Fleetlands are hoping the FA would look kindly on them if they decide to undertake the non-league restructuring that was originally planned for 2020.

If the governing body did decide to restructure – and they confirmed last night they are planning to ‘revisit’ the proposals - they could promote clubs from the HPL into the Wessex League.

Fleetlands are one of three Senior Division clubs - Infinity and Bush Hill are the others - who have applied to make the step up out of county football.

The Coptermen, though, are the only ones with their own ground - Infinity have a ground share agreement at Hythe & Dibden FC while Bush play at Test Park which is owned by Solent University in Southampton.

‘Fleetlands should be given special consideration,’ insisted Sellstrom.

‘We are doing everything we can to build a community club for the long-term future rather than temporary success.

‘Clubs being allowed to sub-let grounds to try and get promotion to me is wrong.

‘I’m obviously slightly biased, but that does not provide long-term tenure of security.

‘We are the only club trying to develop long-term facilities and the FA should be trying to encourage that.

‘If you looked at facilities, football ability and history, we’d be near the top of all those categories (among HPL clubs seeking promotion).

‘Lump them all together and you can see we are really trying to do something at this club.

‘We are doing everything we can to build a community club for the long-term future rather than temporary success.’

Like his chairman, Fleetlands boss Rich Bessey is desperate for the club to regain the Wessex status they held for three seasons until 2006/07 (when they won the third tier title, finishing above AFC Portchester in the process).

A member of the HPL since its inception in 2007/08, Fleetlands’ best finish is second in 2016/17.

This season, they have only lost once in 12 games - a 5-1 hammering at Infinity. They quickly recovered, though, and entered the last lockdown having rattled up five successive league wins, scoring 27 goals in the process and conceding just two.

They trail leaders Bush by seven points, with two games in hand, while they trail Paulsgrove by two points having played two games more. Grove, though, have yet to play Infinity - like them, still unbeaten - and Fleetlands in 2020/21.

‘With respect to the others, we’ve got everything in place to progress,’ Bessey remarked.

‘We’re putting the youth pathway in place, we want to get a ladies team, we want a disability side, we’ve got the floodlights, we’re putting a new changing room block up.

‘The chairman is so forward thinking, we just want to grow and grow.

‘We want to expand out into the community - put on bingo nights, mother and child classes.

‘Everything’s got a good feel. Over the last 18 months we’ve got to a stage where we wouldn’t be out of place in the Wessex League, but we just need to get there.

‘Bush Hill and Infinity are borrowing grounds to play, I understand why they’ve done it but is it a long-term plan?

‘I know Paulsgrove can’t put lights up where they are, and if they wanted a new ground they’d probably have to move out of Paulsgrove.

‘I love Wayne Johnson (Grove chairman) and the guys over there to bits, but at the moment they can’t go up.

‘It would be nice if we could play the season out, we’ve got the perfect mix in the squad now.

‘Phil Archbold is 43, he’s absolutely phenomenal, as fit as a fiddle. I would sign him on next season in a heartbeat.

‘Phil’s won the Wessex League with Petersfield, the same as (goalkeeper) Matt Shortt who’s 38.

‘Tommy Woodward and Wayne Boud are both 35, but we’ve got youngsters like Jack North and his brother Dillon and Kelvin Robinson as well.

‘The older guys have been brought in to help get us out of this league. Longer term, we’d need to bring younger players through and that’s why we’re looking at the pathway.’