Association Football Club Portchester, nicknamed “The Royals,” is a non-league football club based in Fareham, Hampshire.
Established in 1971, they currently compete in the Pitching In Isthmian League South Central Division, which is part of the eighth tier of English football. The team calls OnSite Group Stadium their home ground.
The club started as a Sunday League side, progressing through local divisions under several names and running seven teams by 1986-87. Entry to the Hampshire League Division Three in 1998-99 was followed by consecutive promotions, culminating in the Division One championship of 2001-02.
AFC Portchester entered the Wessex League in 2004, gained Premier status in 2012 and recorded a best finish of third in 2014-15. Under managers Graham Rix, Dave Carter and Gav Spurway the Royals twice missed promotion before lifting the Hampshire Senior Cup in 2024. The 2024-25 season brought the Wessex Premier title, League Cup, Russell Cotes Cup and Portsmouth Senior Cup, earning Step 4 promotion with the country’s best points-per-game record and a single league defeat.
Home games are played at OnSite Group Stadium, redeveloped since the mid-2000s with terraces, seating and suites. The club received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2011 and fields a women’s team at Tier 5 and a youth section of 40 sides from under-7 to under-18. The men’s side will debut in the Isthmian League South Central in 2025-26; national competition highlights include four FA Cup second qualifying round and two FA Vase third round appearances.