Newly named first-team manager Ben Evans is targeting taking relaunched Hawks Women's team back to high levels reached before folding

Led by newly named first-team manager Ben Evans and playing and training out of Westleigh Park, the decision to reform comes more than a decade after the previous club ladies side folded.

The Hawks Ladies enjoyed great success across eight years of running, reaching the fourth tier of the women's game and playing in the last-16 of the Women's FA Cup in 2010.

Evans, who guided Fleetlands Women to a runners-up Hampshire League Division 3 finish in their first season last term, says the opportunity for future growth with the relaunched Hawks Women's side was a chance he could not turn down.

‘At Havant, they've got the facilities and the backing to really push and progress us further up the pyramid,’ said Evans.

‘The people there as well, the levels of support and roles you have within the club, it gives you that different level of support. It's second to none, really, around the area. For us, it's a no-brainer.

‘For me and Chris, when we spoke to Havant, it was the future potential of where we want to take our football coaching and where we would like to be, really.’

In the search for new players with the Hawks women's team starting from scratch, Evans and assistant manager are hosting an open trials session at Westleigh Park on Thursday from 8-10pm.

In recent times, city-based sides Portsmouth Women and Moneyfields Women - who have enjoyed a rapid rise - have reached the third and fourth tiers of the female game respectively.

And ambitious Evans is bidding to follow a similar journey through the divisions in the years ahead, with Hawks Women awaiting to discover what Hampshire County League Division they will be placed in next term.

‘Our main focus is to build a competitive team. We're really looking to run with it and take them in and around where Moneyfields Women are (fourth tier) and looking to push on where Portsmouth Women are (in the third tier). That's the long term goal,’ added Evans.

‘They've got the facilities and backing there (at the Hawks), so we want to get there as soon as possible.

‘We've had quite good interest in the trials from some good players locally around the area, so it's all looking good.

‘It is pretty much starting from scratch (with a brand new team), similar to the job we did at Fleetlands last season, we built a team up from scratch.’