Eastleigh FC

Let's #GetTheBadgeIn for this team with an iconic badge featuring an iconic aircraft....

Eastleigh Football Club might be one of the younger names on the English football map, but both the team and the town carry a weight of history that goes far beyond the game. Their identity is stitched into the industrial, military, and community fabric of this Hampshire town – and at the heart of that story is one of the most iconic aircraft in human history.

The club began life in 1946 as Swaythling Athletic. By 1950 they had joined the Hampshire League, and in 1977 they simplified to “Swaythling” - a small village to the South of Easleigh airport, before choosing the name of the bigger settlement, Eastleigh itself.

Like a purring engine progress has came steadily to the team: founder members of the Wessex League in 1986–87, champions in 2002–03, and then climbing the pyramid through the Southern League, Isthmian League and Conference South. In 2013–14, Eastleigh won promotion to the National League, placing them at the top table of non-League football, where they still compete today.

Home is the Silverlake Stadium, and their colours are blue and white. But it is their nickname that tells the real story.

Until 2005, Eastleigh had no official nickname. That changed when fans were asked to vote for one. The winning choice – The Spitfires – wasn’t much of a surprise given the history of the area. The Supermarine Spitfire, the legendary fighter plane of the Second World War, was first flown from Eastleigh Aerodrome in March 1936. Designed by R. J. Mitchell and produced in Southampton, the Spitfire was a marvel of engineering and remains one of Britain’s proudest inventions.

But Eastleigh existed before the propellers of this war winning aircraft spun into life - Eastleigh is a place where history runs deep. The town lies on the Roman road linking Winchester (Venta Belgarum) and Bitterne (Clausentum), with archaeological finds showing that people were living here nearly two millennia ago.

By 932 AD, the Saxons knew the area as East Leah – a “clearing in the forest.” The Domesday Book of 1086 records the settlement as “Estleie,” proof of its continuous importance through medieval times.

Eastleigh grew dramatically in the 19th century with the coming of the railways. In 1838, the London and South Western Railway built its line through the area, and the village of Barton was given a station: Bishopstoke Junction. By 1868, Barton and Eastley had merged into a single parish. In the following decades, railway works relocated from London to Eastleigh, making the town a major centre of carriage and locomotive production. For over a century, the rhythm of Eastleigh was the sound of hammers, wheels, and whistles.

The railway shaped Eastleigh’s character: a working-class town with skilled labour, proud communities, and a strong sense of place. And a legacy of mechanical innovations - something that would become useful when the fate of the world hung in the balance...

In the 1930s, Eastleigh Aerodrome became the site of a revolution in aircraft design. On 5 March 1936, the prototype Spitfire, serial number K5054, took to the skies for the first time. Sleek, powerful, and agile, it was unlike anything the world had seen before.

Designed by Reginald J. Mitchell of Supermarine, the Spitfire combined elegance with deadly effectiveness. Its elliptical wings reduced drag, while its Rolls-Royce Merlin engine gave it speed, power and a roar that exists spotters and the general public even today. It was a plane that pilots loved to fly.

The timing could not have been more critical. Within three years, Britain was at war. The Spitfire became the jewel of the Royal Air Force, alongside the Hawker Hurricane, and was decisive in the Battle of Britain. Its ability to outmanoeuvre German Messerschmitts gave Britain the edge in the skies. Without Eastleigh’s contribution, history may have taken a darker turn.

During the war, the airfield was renamed RNAS Eastleigh, or HMS Raven, and played a vital role in training. Nazi propaganda even claimed “HMS Raven” had been sunk during bombing raids – not realising it was an air base, not a ship.

The Spitfire’s impact was immense. More than just a machine of war, it became a symbol of hope, resilience, and ingenuity – qualities that Eastleigh still takes pride in today.

Modern Eastleigh is a town that has balanced growth with heritage. The borough has been praised for its quality of life, and while the great railway works closed in 2006, smaller operations keep the tradition alive. In 2004, a sculpture of the Spitfire prototype was installed near the airport entrance, and in 2006, five restored Spitfires flew from the site to mark the 70th anniversary of the first flight.

Every resident of Eastleigh lives in the shadow of that history. For them, the Spitfire isn’t just a plane – it is a reminder of their town’s role in shaping the modern world.

Eastleigh FC, now firmly known as The Spitfires, carry that story with them every time they step onto the pitch. Their nickname links them to courage and innovation. Their stadium, their shirts, and even their mascots – Mr and Mrs Brooksy Bear, honouring club founder Derik Brooks – reflect a club that values both its community and its history.

For visiting fans, the Silverlake may seem like just another ground in the National League. But for locals, it is part of a town where Romans marched, Saxons settled, railways boomed, and Spitfires soared.

It's one hell of a badge.