James Pearson, formerly Deputy Chairman commenced in the role officially on 23^rd June 2018. James has been involved in football since he was 8 years of age, inspired by his father who took him to watch his first Nottingham Forest match. Despite the 0-0 draw with Burnley, James instantly fell in love with the game and with Nottingham Forest FC. At the age of 13 he became a player in the Notts Youth League and moved to London, where he continued his playing career in the West Middlesex League.

In addition to his playing career, James has undertaken a number of roles within the game. He was Captain and Secretary of Wiggins Teape FC in the Basingstoke Sunday League from 1980 to 1986, in 1990 became the manager of his son’s team S&D Youth in the Southampton Tyro League and also became the Secretary of the club until 2000.  James was instrumental in forming the Eastleigh & District Mini Soccer League in 1999, was Chairman of the league until 2016 and is now President.

In 1992, James took up the whistle and became a referee. In 1996 he was promoted to Class 1 and to this day assesses. James joined the Hampshire FA Council in 2001 and became a Director of Hampshire FA in 2004. During this time, James has served on a variety of committees including Youth, Development, the Hampshire FA County Game Board and has served on numerous Discipline Panels.

Discussing his new appointment as Chairman, James Pearson says:

 “My hopes are to continue the good work of my predecessors; great strides have been taken to change the perception of the county FA. I do still feel there is further work to be done and I want to make sure that Hampshire FA is seen as a body to help leagues, clubs and players alike and not just the office that issues fines. There is so much we do as a county that goes unnoticed.

I am very excited by the role and also very honoured as it was never my intention to become Chairman when I joined Hampshire FA! I will do my very best to live up to the confidence the Hampshire FA Council has in me. The role carries a great deal of responsibility but I am supported by a great team of professionals in the county office who carry out all the day to day actions. We also have a fantastic army of volunteers across the county who never cease to amaze me with their energy and commitment. I am looking forward to meeting as many leagues, clubs and players as I can during my time as Chairman and hope to get a better understanding of what more the county FA can do to help”.  

We are grateful to our former Chairman of Hampshire FA, Robin Osborne for the work, developments and contributions that took place during his time at Hampshire FA.

"Over the past four years as Chairman of Hampshire FA, I have tried to be approachable and inclusive for the benefit of everyone connected with grassroots football in Hampshire. I have attended a number of local meetings around the county, which has enabled me to get to know how things are managed in the six local areas.  I have also attended a number of matches at various levels and would like to thank all club officials for their hospitality.  Again, this has enabled me to gain a greater understanding of the problems facing our local clubs. 

Although I stood down as Chairman of Hampshire FA at the recent AGM, I shall still be a member of Council and also continue my involvement as Trustee of both Hampshire FA Benevolent Fund and Hampshire FA Community Trust.  Over the last few weeks, I have also been elected President of Bournemouth Divisional FA and Chairman of Christchurch FC, so I shall have plenty to keep me occupied with grassroots football! 

There are exciting times ahead for Hampshire FA, with the proposed developments at Winklebury and Parklife, together with further business opportunities at Front Lawn. During my time as Chairman, I have discussed these and many other topics regularly with Jim Pearson, Deputy Chairman, who has always been there to support me. May I take this opportunity of thanking Jim for all the help and guidance he has given me as Chairman and extend my very best wishes to him now that he has acceded to the role.  Jim brings a wealth of experience from both business and football and will be a great asset to Hampshire FA". Robin Osborne 

The Chairman joins Hampshire FA at a very exciting time with many plans and developments in the pipeline. Hampshire FA has expanded to now operating a second site and Football Hub at Front Lawn in Havant. There are also plans to expand further and the county FA is already looking into other potential sites for Football Hubs.