Hampshire champions Bush Hill set £80,000 target for Wessex football

The Southampton-based outfit walked away with the 2016/17 Hampshire Premier League top flight title, winning it by a huge 18 points.

That came just three years after they had won promotion from the second tier of the HPL, and after finishing fifth in their previous two seasons.

In all, it was the club’s 11th title since their formation in 2002 - if you include championships won during their time in the Southampton League, including a record of five successive titles.

Bush, however, will still be playing in the same league next season as their facilities are not good enough for the Wessex.

Bush play their home games at Mansel Park in Millbrook after securing a lease within the playing fields in 2013 and privately funding the required Step 7 facilities.

When asked what lies ahead for the club over the next five years, boss Eugene McManus is clearly excited.

“Our ambition has always been to bring Step 5 football to the heart of this community,”he said.

“Historically the area has produced some great footballers who, when reaching senior level, had to go out of the area to play a ‘decent’ standard of football. That diluted friendships.

“Non-League football is too focused on facilities as opposes to abilities and our biggest challenge is to gain funding to meet the Step 5 criteria and progress to Wessex League.

“To do so we will need to secure a massive £83,000 to fund improvements to facilities.

“We have no rich benefactor to gift us that sum, so will seek assistance from the Football Foundation and Sport England, along with begging local businesses to assist through sponsorship etc.

“By 2020 we aim to have achieved Step 5 status and have teams in all ages of youth football.

“It has been a fantastic journey for the club. However, despite the successes, we are yet to reach our destination and the hard work by all associated to the club will continue until we do.”

*More on this story in this weekend’s Sports Pink