South Western Football League
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The South Western Football League is an English association football league comprised of clubs from Cornwall and the far western part of Devon. It consists of a single division at the eleventh overall tier of the English football league system, the seventh and lowest "Step" of the official National League System. The East Cornwall League and Cornwall Combination rank below the South Western on the overall pyramid, and in turn have feeder leagues of their own.
Champions of the South Western League, whose principal sponsor is the Carlsberg beer brand via St. Austell Brewery, are eligible for promotion to the lower division of the Western Football League Division One, but the difficulties Cornish teams have travelling further afield have discouraged applications for promotion. Truro City have taken this step in 2006. The lowest-ranked clubs in the 2004-05 FA Cup all came from the South Western League, no other clubs from leagues at that pyramid level having been accepted. Among them were St. Blazey, whose record for longest unbeaten streak in league football anywhere in the United Kingdom (75 games) was broken by AFC Wimbledon in 2004. This record may be held by some to have been devalued by the club (unlike AFC Wimbledon) not having been promoted to a higher league, as would be the usual outcome of winning successive league titles during the streak.
The league was formed in 1951 but foundation dates of the 19 current member clubs range from the 1880s to 1980s.
Discussions are under way for a merger with the Devon County League to form a new competition covering the whole of Devon and Cornwall called the South West Peninsula League. If the proposals are accepted, the new competition will be at Step 6 of the National League System, feeding directly into the Premier Division of the Western League, and would commence in the 2007-08 season.
From 2006, Plymouth Argyle have entered a team, consisting mainly of youth players, sharing the ground of fellow league members Plymouth Parkway.
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| South Western Football League 2006/07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bodmin Town | Callington Town | Falmouth Town | Goonhavern | Launceston | Liskeard Athletic | Millbrook | Newquay | Penryn Athletic | Penzance | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Plymouth Parkway | Porthleven | St Austell | St Blazey | Saltash United | Tavistock | Torpoint Athletic | Wadebridge Town | edit |
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| English football league system - Level 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion to: Western Football League Division One | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relegation to: Cornwall Combination, East Cornwall League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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