Western Football League

Western Football League
Country England
Other club(s) from Wales
Founded 1892 (1892)
Divisions Premier Division
Division One
Number of teams 42
21 (Premier Division)
21 (Division One)
Level on pyramid Levels 9–10
Feeder to Southern League
Relegation to Dorset Premier League
Gloucestershire County League
Somerset County League
Wiltshire League
South West Peninsula League

Only relegated from &
 promoted to Premier division
Domestic cup(s) Les Phillips Cup
Current champions Melksham Town (Premier Division)
Barnstaple Town (Division One)
Website Official
2015–16 season

The Western Football League is a football league in South West England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The league's current main sponsor is Toolstation, so it is also known as the Toolstation League.

Recent restructuring of the English football league system has placed the two divisions, known as the Premier Division and Division One (each a maximum of twenty-two clubs) at the ninth and tenth tiers overall, known as Step 5 and Step 6 of the National League System.

The champion club may apply for promotion to a Step 4 league, which in practice will almost certainly be the Southern League Division One South and West. Below the Western League are four local leagues covering smaller areas, the Gloucestershire County League, the Somerset County League, the Dorset Premier League and the Wiltshire League.[1] The South West Peninsula League Premier Division is also a feeder to the Western League but due to having Step 6 status (the same level as the Western League Division One), it feeds directly into the Western League Premier Division.

List of current clubs

Bishop Sutton
Bitton
Bradford Town
Bridport
Brislington
Bristol Manor Farm
Buckland Athletic
Cadbury Heath
Gillingham Town
Hallen
Longwell Green Sports
Melksham Town
Odd Down (Bath)
Shepton Mallet
Sherborne Town
Slimbridge
Street
Willand Rovers
Winterbourne Utd
Map showing the location of teams in Western Football League, Premier Division in 2014–15

Premier Division:

Division One:

History

The league was formed in 1892 as the Bristol & District League, and became the Western League in 1895. (There is also a Bristol & District League today, but this is a feeder league to the Gloucestershire County League). In the years before World War II, many teams played in both the Southern and Western Leagues; the Western League was considered as secondary to the Southern League.

On four occasions, member clubs have lifted the FA Vase, Tiverton Town twice, Taunton Town once and most recently Truro City, who beat A.F.C. Totton in 2007 at the first final to be held at the new Wembley Stadium before a competition record crowd of 27,754. Truro City were the only one of the three to win the FA Vase while in Division One, while none are current members of the Western League, as all three have since progressed to the Southern League.

Founder members

Bedminster (later merged with Bristol South End to form Bristol City) | Clevedon (later Clevedon Town) | Clifton Association | Eastville Rovers (later Bristol Rovers) | Mangotsfield | St. George (later merged with Roman Glass F.C. to form Roman Glass St George) | Trowbridge Town | Warmley | Wells

List of champions

Year Champions
1893 Warmley
1894 Warmley
1895 Hereford Thistle
1896 Warmley
1897 Warmley
1898 Bristol City
1899 Swindon Town
1900 Bristol Rovers
1901 Portsmouth
1902 Portsmouth
1903 Portsmouth
1904 Tottenham Hotspur
1905 Plymouth Argyle
1906 Queens Park Rangers
1907 West Ham United
1908 Millwall
1909 Millwall
1910 Treharris
1911 Bristol City Reserves
1912 Welton Rovers
1913 Bristol Rovers Reserves
1914 Cardiff City
1915–19 No competition due to
World War I
1920 Douglas
1921 Bristol City Reserves
1922 Yeovil and Petters United
1923 Weymouth
1924 Lovells Athletic

Year Champions
1925 Yeovil and Petters United
1926 Bristol City Reserves
1927 Bristol City Reserves
1928 Plymouth Argyle Reserves
1929 Bristol Rovers Reserves
1930 Yeovil and Petters United
1931 Exeter City Reserves
1932 Plymouth Argyle Reserves
1933 Exeter City Reserves
1934 Bath City
1935 Yeovil and Petters United
1936 Bristol Rovers Reserves
1937 Bristol Rovers Reserves
1938 Bristol City Reserves
1939 Lovells Athletic
1940 Trowbridge Town
1941–45 No competition due to
World War II
1946 Bristol Rovers Reserves
1947 Trowbridge Town
1948 Trowbridge Town
1949 Glastonbury
1950 Wells City
1951 Glastonbury
1952 Chippenham Town
1953 Barnstaple Town
1954 Weymouth Reserves
1955 Dorchester Town
1956 Trowbridge Town

Year Champions
1957 Poole Town
1958 Salisbury
1959 Yeovil Town Reserves
1960 Torquay United Reserves
1961 Salisbury
1962 Bristol City Reserves
1963 Bristol City Reserves
1964 Bideford
1965 Welton Rovers
1966 Welton Rovers
1967 Welton Rovers
1968 Bridgwater Town
1969 Taunton Town
1970 Glastonbury
1971 Bideford
1972 Bideford
1973 Devizes Town
1974 Welton Rovers
1975 Falmouth Town
1976 Falmouth Town
1977 Falmouth Town
1978 Falmouth Town
1979 Frome Town
1980 Barnstaple Town
1981 Bridgwater Town
1982 Bideford
1983 Bideford
1984 Exmouth Town
1985 Saltash United

Year Champions
1986 Exmouth Town
1987 Saltash United
1988 Liskeard Athletic
1989 Saltash United
1990 Taunton Town
1991 Mangotsfield United
1992 Weston-super-Mare
1993 Clevedon Town
1994 Tiverton Town
1995 Tiverton Town
1996 Taunton Town
1997 Tiverton Town
1998 Tiverton Town
1999 Taunton Town
2000 Taunton Town
2001 Taunton Town
2002 Bideford
2003 Team Bath
2004 Bideford
2005 Bideford
2006 Bideford
2007 Corsham Town
2008 Truro City
2009 Bitton
2010 Bideford
2011 Larkhall Athletic
2012 Merthyr Town
2013 Bishop Sutton
2014 Larkhall Athletic
2015 Melksham Town

Teams promoted to Southern League (since 1946)

The area covered by the Western League is coloured in green.
Year Team Position
1949 Weymouth 3rd
1957 Poole Town 1st
1958 Trowbridge Town 5th
1968 Salisbury 2nd
1971 Andover 2nd
1972 Bideford 1st
1972 Minehead 2nd
1972 Dorchester Town 7th
1977 Taunton Town 9th
1982 Bridgwater Town 3rd
1992 Weston-super-Mare 1st
1993 Clevedon Town 1st
1999 Tiverton Town 2nd
2000 Mangotsfield United 2nd
2001 Chippenham Town 2nd
2002 Taunton Town 2nd
2003 Team Bath 1st
2004 Paulton Rovers 2nd
2007 Bridgwater Town 2nd
2008 Truro City 1st
2009 Frome Town 2nd
2010 Bideford 1st
2012 Merthyr Town 1st
2014 Larkhall Athletic 1st
2015 Slimbridge 3rd

References

External links

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