Eastleigh link up with Saints

Southampton FC Eastleigh Football Club are pleased to announce a new partnership with local Premier League club Southampton FC.

The agreement will see some of Southampton’s fixtures in the Barclays U21 Premier League staged at the Silverlake Stadium.

The first of these games will be the visit of Newcastle United on Monday 17th December (7pm kick off) for their final fixture in the National Group Stage having been given the green light from the Premier League following a recent inspection of our facilities.

As well as allowing the Saints to stage certain U21 fixtures at a more accessible location, our new link-up will see the two clubs’ youth programmes share ideas on how to develop local youth football.

Manager Richard Hill commented:”This is a positive move for the club and says a lot about Eastleigh and where we are going that Southampton approached us.

“We have a Premier League club on our doorstep and it is imperative we have strong links and be in pole position when any mutually beneficial opportunities arise in the future. Likewise, we want to have close links with as many local clubs as possible, hence, why we are travelling to Romsey tomorrow night.”

Les Reed, Executive Director of Saints’ Football Development & Support Centre (FDSC), hailed the Club’s new agreement with the Spitfires, commenting: "This is a great opportunity for our two clubs to form a relationship which benefits football in and around the Southampton community."

Saints’ Under-21s are now battling for a place in the Elite Group Stage of the Professional Development League, and will play more home games at the Silverlake Stadium after Christmas. The U21s are currently playing in one of the three National Groups, which consists of the 22 teams who applied for Category One status under the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan.

Under the rules of the competition, teams can name three overage outfield players plus an overage goalkeeper in any matchday squad, with Saints involving the likes of Artur Boruc, Danny Butterfield, Tadanari Lee, Ryan Dickson and Jonathan Forte so far this season.

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