The club was established in 1898 as New Milton Football Club, but records of its history are sparse. Its home games were played at the New Milton Recreation Ground, now known to the town's people as the skate park, which can be found behind the Bowls Club.

 

The club's recorded history truly begins with the merger of AFC Lymington, from the Wessex League, and New Milton FC, from Division Two of the Hampshire League. The newly formed club, Lymington & New Milton FC, played its home games at the Fawcetts Field ground in New Milton.

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The amalgamation of the two clubs also led to the formation of Lymington Town, which entered Division Three of the Hampshire League, and a new, New Milton club based in Milford-on-Sea, which joined Division Two for a single season before folding.​

 

In their first season, Lymington & New Milton retained the Wessex League title won by AFC Lymington in 1997/98. However, they were unable to take promotion as their ground failed to meet the requirements. They were runners-up in the league in each of the next two seasons, making further failed applications for promotion in the 1999/20 season.

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In 2003/04, Lymington and New Milton were Wessex League champions, earning promotion to Division One of the Isthmian League and then to Division One South & West of the Southern League.

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Despite finishing above the relegation zone in 2006/07, the club resigned from the league at the end of the season after most of its officials resigned. Dropping back into the Premier Division of the Wessex League, the club was renamed New Milton Town FC, the club that we know of today.

 

In 2012/13, they finished bottom of the Premier Division. After rescinding their resignation from the league, they were relegated to Division One, which was when a proposed merger with Bashley Football Club fell through. The following four seasons saw the club struggle to enter the top half of the table.​

 

Lou Fern took over as chairman at the beginning of the 2018/19 season and set out to make the club more professional. While things improved off the pitch, results did not, leading to frequent changes in management. No one made a significant improvement until the appointment of Paul Turner from Poole.

 

With a new management team and playing squad in the 2020/21 season, the club endured a stop-start season with the rest of the country due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The season subsequently came to a close at the halfway stage.​ However, in the same season, the club had its best run in the FA Vase, reaching the third round and eventually being eliminated by Clevedon Town in the division above.​

 

With normal service resumed for the 2021/22 season, the Linnets had a cracking season, finishing 9th in the league and making it further in the FA Vase by reaching the 4th round before losing 2-0 to Brockenhurst from the division above. The game also saw the club’s highest attendance, with 952.​

 

The 2022/23 season brought DMW Glazing in as the stadium sponsor. The club had another strong campaign, narrowly missing out on promotion. The club finished third in the league before losing the Playoff Final 4-2 on penalties at home to Petersfield.​

 

The club faced significant challenges in the 2023/24 season. Paul Turner and his management team resigned, leaving the club struggling to find a suitable replacement and managing only 3 points from the first 20 league games. This led to a mid-season change in management, and John Breaker was drafted in as emergency chairman following Lou Fern’s departure.​

 

The second half of the season ended in stark contrast to the previous one, with New Milton Town finishing 3rd from bottom after amassing a brilliant 30 points from their remaining games. It meant that the club narrowly avoided relegation to the county leagues.​

 

In the 2024/25 season, under new Chairman Dan Wills from DMW Glazing and a new management team led by Matt Maybury, New Milton Town would win the Wessex League Division One after a dramatic finish away at Hamworthy United in April. The trophy presentation followed a few days later at the M.A. Hart Stadium. It was an unbelievable turn of events following the previous season.

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There had been much change at the club throughout the season, with the committee's decision to move the club into its own image and away from the merger with neighbours Lymington Town, which had ended all the way back in 2007. The club's new nickname would be The Brickmakers, although they are now affectionately known as 'The Brickies' by our fans at both home and away games.

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Having staged a remarkable “great escape”, New Milton re-grouped with great success in 2024/25. Dan Wills took over as chairman, with John Breaker continuing his role as club president and Matt Maybury as team manager.

Re-organising off the field, included a change of club nickname. Fans were asked to vote on whether to remain as The Linnets or change to something new. The choice was “something new” and the fans re-branded it The Brickmakers - a nod towards one of the town’s traditional industries.
New Milton’s history as a brickmaking centre was driven by rich local clay deposits, with thousands of bricks being produced for local and regional construction, until the industry declined in the 1960s due to competition from mass-produced, machine-made brick.

The nickname was shortened to “The Brickies”, who soon turned Fawcetts Field into a fortress. Home form was maintained - in fact even bettered - on the road, where only one game was lost, and New Milton were runaway winners of Wessex League Division One, ending with 90 points, 11 clear of second-placed Frimley Green.

Summer, however, brought the need for dramatic re-structuring off the field, and the unexpected problems inevitably took their toll, with key departures from the playing staff. Chairman Dan Wills also departed, and soon afterwards manager Matt Maybury also left.

Gary Squires took over as chairman, supported by president John Breaker and a committee determined not to let the club die, especially after what had been one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history. Jamie Kay was appointed manager, but with an inexperienced squad at his disposal it was soon clear the season would be difficult - especially after a three-points deduction by the League.

Gary Squires and his committee re-grouped in January with the influx of a group of local business people - many with substantial football experience at other clubs in the area. Additional funding was also acquired.

Although results improved towards the end of the season, the changes on and off the field came too late to prevent the club remaining at the foot of the Premier Division table and being relegated to Division One.

However, there is new optimism at Fawcetts Field, and there’s no doubt The Brickies are building a brighter future!

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NICKNAME

The Brickmakers

 

GROUND

Fawcett’s Field

 

CAPACITY

1,500 (262 Seated)

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HOME COLOURS

Yellow & Blue

 

AWAY COLOURS

White & Blue

 

BEST FA CUP PERFORMANCE

4th Qualifying Round (3)​

 

BEST FA TROPHY PERFORMANCE

1st Qualifying Round (1)

 

BEST FA VASE PERFORMANCE

4th Round (1)