 The roots of the club can be traced to members of St. Mary's Church Young Men's Association, who played their football at various venues in Southampton for 13 years, prior to the move to the club's former ground, The Dell in 1898, where it remained until 2001.In 2001 the move from The Dell to the new Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium was deemed to be a spiritual homecoming for Southampton Football Club, because of the new stadium's proximity to St. Mary's Church, the church where the club was founded by members of the St Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association.The club's first match was played on 21 November 1885 on a pitch in Northlands Road, where the Hampshire Bowling Club was subsequently situated, close to the County Cricket Ground; St. Mary's won 5–1 against Freemantle, with three goals from Charles Bromley and two from A.