Team card
The team card is for Town v Winchester Gas Co as part of the Eastleigh and District league. Inside, the team card contains potential line ups for both teams along with a brief summary of the previous matches. Lastly, there is a note for the potential prizes you can win for purchasing a team card which are announced in the fixture lists. Overall, the team card was an opportunity for the club to increase their revenue rather than being a source of information, entertainment or a collectable item seen currently in football.
Eastleigh Town football club
Formed in 1926 as the Eastleigh Amateurs, the club soon became The Town Club in 1931. In 1936, the club was attempting to bounce back after a tough 1935-36 season in the Southampton Senior League. However, it is worth noting that there were a variety of different clubs in Eastleigh such as Pirelli General, SR Eastleigh Athletic and most notably Swaythling Athletic now commonly known as Eastleigh Football Club. Due to this, teams had to compete for supporters in their local areas and funding was essential in maintaining the teams coming from local stores and sponsorships. For example, SR Easteligh Atheltic were named after the owners of the locomotive works in Eastleigh, Southern Railway, between 1930-1949. Interestingly, in HMCMS:SH1995.46.2, the club mentions that they are 'well financed' suggesting that the team had a strong fanbase creating consistent revenue alongside sponsorships.
This object was audited and researched as part of the National Lottery Hertiage Funded Data Hunters and Story Gatherers project.
