The first training session took place at War Memorial Park, next to the bandstand, on Sunday 20 August 2023. Two of the three people who applied attended the first session, but over the following months that number grew to five and they were ready to go.
The first proposed team name was “Basingstoke Pistons”, with the logo including the number 72 to commemorate the year that truck production ceased at the Thornhill factory in Basingstoke.
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A new Facebook account changed everything, and membership soared. Within six months, membership had more than doubled, with new members joining at almost every meeting. The increase in membership even forced the club to relocate to the soccer field on the other side of the park.
Also in November, the club's organisation was formalised, with founder Alex officially appointed General Manager, with Peter Christmas taking on the role of Assistant General Manager.
The year ended and within four months, football was back on in Basingstoke.
In January 2024, the growth and development continued. Christmas became the official head coach, assisted in defence by American Ricardo Sanchez. Alex also appointed Brandon Cannon (the only player who had been with the team from the first session) as the first player representative. In mid-February, the club also instituted official constitutions aimed at sustaining and expanding the Turtles for years to come.
The Turtles are not Basingstoke's first American football team; the sport first appeared in the town in 1985. Basingstoke Cavaliers, based at Down Grange Park, opted for a red and black uniform.
The club played one season in the British and American Football Association (BAFF) A1 Conference, finishing with a record of 1 win, 7 losses and 0 draws.
After a poor start the team decided to rebrand as the Hampshire Cavaliers and move to Andover FC.
With a new name, a new home, and playing in the new Budweiser League Channel Division, there were high hopes for 1986. However, those hopes didn't last long, as the team finished the season winless with a record of 0-10-0.
The club had lost its direction and returned to Down Grange in 1987. Playing in the Budweiser League Division 1 Southern Conference, the Cavaliers finished the season with a record of 3 wins, 7 losses and 0 draws.
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The team's first playoff appearance did not end well, as visiting team Inverclyde Crusaders (from Greenock, Scotland) came to town and won 36–6.
The following year, in 1989, the team joined the Duke Premier Division Southern Conference of the Combined Gridiron League (CGL) and finished with a disappointing record of 0 wins, 10 losses, and 0 ties.
In 1990 the club was once again back in the BNGL (British National Gridiron League) Premier Division Southern Conference, winning all ten games without a loss or draw.
On August 11, 1990, the Cavaliers earned their first playoff victory with a 24-14 home win over the Brent Bandits in the quarterfinals.
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The following week, on August 18th, the club's greatest season in history came to an end with a 28-2 loss at home to the Destroyers.
The Dutchy Destroyers, from Cornwall, won the championship on September 1st, defeating the Cumbria Cougars 31-19 at Saffron Lane Stadium in Sheffield.
The highlight of the season came in a 26–0 road victory against Southampton on July 1. Running back Nick Preece ran for 220 yards, including a 97-yard sideline dash.
However, Progress suffered another setback in the BNGL South Capital Conference in 1991, failing to reach the playoffs despite a respectable record of 6 wins, 4 losses and 0 draws.
The team improved to 7-3-0 in the BNGL National Division Southwest Conference in 1992, but it was still not enough to make the playoffs. At the end of the season, longtime head coach Bob Pitt resigned and the team went into steep decline.
Now, in the BNGL National Southern Conference, 1993 was a disaster. The club forfeited all 10 games and withdrew from all league competition. At the start of the season there were 38 players, but by season's end there were only 18 left. The only way they could continue was to merge.
With the collapse of the Cavaliers, Basingstoke seemed destined to be without football for the first time since 1985. However, remnants of the team stayed on, merging with the Farnham Knights and renaming themselves the Southern Seminoles. The new team remained at Down Grange Park in Basingstoke and retained their original team colours of red and black.
With the collapse of the Cavaliers, Basingstoke seemed destined to be without football for the first time since 1985. However, remnants of the team stayed on, merging with the Farnham Knights and renaming themselves the Southern Seminoles. The new team remained at Down Grange Park in Basingstoke and retained their original team colours of red and black.
The merger was a success and in 1994 the team, playing in the BAFA South West Conference, went 8-2 and reached the playoffs.
The season ended on 7 August with an 18–10 defeat away to Brighton B52.
The good times did not last long in 1995 as the team finished with a losing record (3-6-0) in the BAFA Division 2 South West Conference. The final home game of the season was played on July 9th and the Seminoles lost 6-2 to playoff-qualifying Bristol Aztex. This was the final season of contact football in Basingstoke.
In 1996 the team moved to Callington Park in Ash where they recorded four wins, five losses and one draw.
By 1997, the original Farnham Knights colours were re-adopted and thanks to sponsorship deals they became the PA Knights, and the club would eventually become one of the top clubs in the UK, winning national championships and representing Great Britain in Europe.
To this day, the club is considered one of the best-run teams in the country, and the GM and founder of Basingstoke Turtles was once a member of the Knights youth team in the late 90s and early 2000s – a subtle nod to Basingstoke's football history.
Going all the way back to 1987, the Cavaliers founded Ironside with an eye to the future. Based at Down Grange Park, the team played their first season in the London and West Conference Youth Two Touch in 1988, going 6-2-0 with a record of 0-0 and qualifying for the playoffs. They were eliminated in the first round by Ealing Eagles (who would later become the London Blitz).
In 1989 the club returned to the Southern Conference but finished the season with a 1-5-0 record. The following season in 1990 they were in the Southwestern Conference and finished the season with a 4-3-1 record.
In 1991, the team expanded into the Youth Kit League's Contact Football, finishing with a 2-5-1 record in the Southeastern Conference, before disbanding shortly thereafter.
Basingstoke's first foray into flag football was when the Zombie Horde were formed in 2010. The only information on the team can be found on the history page of the Chichester Sharks website.
Judging from the limited information available, the club appears to have struggled throughout 2011. Only two results are available, a 53-31 loss to the Sharks in Cardiff on April 17. Later that year the Sharks won again, this time at Chichester by a score of 35-7.
Hoad's final season was in 2013 and saw two scores recorded by Chichester Sharks – a 61-0 defeat at home on 23 June and a 66-27 defeat away on 1 September.
In 2019 Basingstoke Giants kitted, built and disbanded.
Little is known about the Giants. Their attempt to bring back contact football in Basingstoke after a 24-year absence started and ended with a Twitter ad.
