HAWKS DAY OUT: Havant Fans Set for Westleigh Park BBQ, Competitions and Fans v Legends Clash

Havant & Waterlooville fans are being called back to Westleigh Park for a bumper community day this month — with a Fans v Legends match, competitions and a free BBQ all lined up for supporters.

The Hawks have announced that Fans Day 2026 will take place at Westleigh Park on Saturday 23 May, turning the Martin Road ground into a family-friendly football gathering rather than just another date in the diary.

The club says the centrepiece will be a Fans v Legends game kicking off at 2pm. In plain English: ordinary supporters get the chance to share a pitch with familiar Hawks names, while everyone else gets to enjoy the sort of end-of-season football chaos that can only happen when fans pull on boots and pride is suddenly on the line.

## A BIG DAY FOR THE HAWKS FAMILY

The announcement was short, but the message was loud: Havant & Waterlooville want supporters in the ground, around the club, and part of the afternoon.

The club said there will be “a number of other competitions” during the day, plus a free BBQ for everyone to enjoy. The Westleigh will also be open as usual, giving fans somewhere to gather, talk football, and turn a single match into a proper community afternoon.

For a non-league club, that matters. Westleigh Park is not just a pitch and a set of turnstiles. It is a meeting point for families, regulars, youth players, volunteers, sponsors, former players and people who may not attend every week but still feel the Hawks are part of Havant’s identity.

Fans Day is exactly the kind of event that can bring those groups together without the pressure of league points, promotion battles or relegation nerves.

## FANS V LEGENDS: BRAGGING RIGHTS ON THE LINE

The Fans v Legends match is the obvious headline.

These games are usually played with smiles, but nobody should pretend there is no edge at all. Give a supporter a chance to score at Westleigh Park and suddenly the afternoon becomes a story they will tell for years.

For the legends, it is a chance to come back, pull on colours linked with the club, and reconnect with supporters who remember big tackles, late winners, long away trips and the moments that made them favourites.

For the fans, it is a rare chance to step out from the terraces and onto the grass. Some will arrive convinced they still have a first touch. Others will discover very quickly why match fitness is not the same as five-a-side confidence.

Either way, it should be the sort of spectacle non-league football does best: local, noisy, slightly unpredictable and full of characters.

## MORE THAN A MATCH

The free BBQ is a smart touch. Football clubs talk a lot about community, but community often starts with simple things: food, conversation, children running about, people bumping into neighbours, and fans who normally only nod at each other on matchdays actually stopping for a chat.

A day like this can be especially useful for families who are curious about coming to Westleigh Park but have not made it part of their routine. A less formal event can feel easier than a competitive matchday. There is time to look around, meet people and see the club without worrying about the score.

It can also help younger fans build a connection. A child who sees a parent, sibling or local hero involved in a fun club event is more likely to remember the ground as somewhere welcoming rather than intimidating.

That is the long game for clubs like Havant & Waterlooville. Supporters are not created by one advert or one fixture poster. They are created through habits, memories and reasons to come back.

## WHY WESTLEIGH PARK EVENTS MATTER

Havant has had no shortage of big headlines recently — elections, council shake-ups, rail disruption and local service changes. A football Fans Day may look lighter by comparison, but local life is not made only of council reports and commuter warnings.

Clubs, pubs, schools, churches, community centres and sports grounds are where a town’s social fabric is built.

Westleigh Park gives Havant a sporting anchor. When the Hawks host open events, they are not just entertaining existing fans. They are giving the wider town another reason to gather in person at a time when many community spaces are fighting for attention.

That is why this sort of day deserves notice. It is not a transfer rumour. It is not a boardroom row. It is a club putting on an afternoon designed to make people feel part of something.

## A CHANCE TO RESET AND LOOK FORWARD

Fans Days also arrive at a useful moment in the football calendar. The pressure of the season eases, retained lists and summer planning start to dominate conversation, and supporters begin doing what supporters always do: arguing about what went right, what went wrong, and what must happen next.

The club’s own website has been carrying player updates alongside the Fans Day notice, showing that preparations for the next chapter are already moving.

But for one afternoon on 23 May, the talk can be less about spreadsheets, squads and fixtures — and more about the people who keep the club alive.

Volunteers who give up Saturdays. Parents who bring children. Regulars who stand in the same spot. Former players who still care. Newcomers who might become regulars if the welcome is right.

## WHAT SUPPORTERS NEED TO KNOW

The key details are simple. Fans Day 2026 is scheduled for Saturday 23 May at Westleigh Park, Martin Road, Havant. The Fans v Legends game is due to start at 2pm. The club says competitions and a free BBQ will run through the afternoon, and The Westleigh will be open as usual.

Anyone planning to go should keep an eye on the club’s official channels in case timings, access details or event information are updated closer to the day.

For now, the invitation is clear: the Hawks want a crowd, they want noise, and they want supporters to treat Westleigh Park as their place.

So dust off the colours, bring the family, and prepare for the safest prediction in football: someone in that Fans v Legends match is going to wake up the next morning with sore legs and absolutely no regrets.