Southsea Nomads on the move AGAIN – and this time with the help of Portsmouth City Council leader

The Nomads have moved again – and this time, with the help of city council leader Steve Pitt, they’re back on Portsea Island.

Southsea Nomads RFC last weekend played their first match at Cockleshell Gardens in Eastney.

It was a winning start too, beating Alresford 40-24 in a Hampshire Counties 4 fixture.

Now the hope is that they can remain part of a thriving multi-sport scene – Meon Milton FC and Portsmouth Community CC are also based in the same complex – for many years to come.

Formed back in 1978, the club were given the Nomads moniker due to not having a ground.

They were to live up to their name with a succession of homes in the subsequent four decades.

During Nomads’ debut season, 1978/79, they played at Rugby Camp - home of Portsmouth RFC - as the Farlington pitches the council had allocated were waterlogged to use.

The council also moved Nomads to a variety of pitches at Alexandra Park, Eastern Road and Great Salterns.

For around two decades up to early 2022, Nomads played home games at the University of Portsmouth facility near Furze Lane.

Then they signed a contract to play at the St John’s School facilities at Farlington. But within six months, the school had collapsed into administration.

Due to the pitch subsequently being sold, Nomads ended last season renting a pitch at Warblington School to complete their fixtures.

Chairman Neil Johnson told The News: “We wrote to Steve Pitt and he was really keen to help.

"We had been told there were no spare green spaces in the city for a sports team, but Steve put us in contact with the Cockleshell Community Sports Ground trustees.

"He told us ‘I know these guys, I think you can work together.’

"We had a meeting and they said they’d love to have a rugby club there.

"We had written to Fareham Borough Council to see if they had anywhere.

"Some clubs had been keen to help, but it just wasn’t the right fit – we didn’t want to be enveloped by anyone, but if that was the only way to save the club...

"It’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes and a lot of sleepless nights.”

Nomads have had to raise £2,000 for a new set of posts to be installed at Cockleshell, while they ended up sharing changing room facilities with Meon Milton footballers last weekend.

The plan is to revamp the delapidated rugby pavilion on the site, but that will take time as grants are sought.”

On the pitch, Nomads have a new captain this season, Jonathan Branston having replaced the long-serving Ben Horrod who is now working in the London area.

David Povey, one of the club’s summer recruits, was voted man of the match against Alresford, where his performance included running around half the length of the pitch to score a try.