Western Football League
Encyclopedia
The Western Football League is a football
league in the south west of England
, covering Bristol
, Cornwall
, Devon
, Somerset
, western Dorset
, parts of Gloucestershire
and Wiltshire
and parts of South Wales
. 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 three local leagues covering smaller areas, the Gloucestershire County League
, the Somerset County League and the Wiltshire League. 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.
Barnstaple Town
|
Bishop Sutton |
Bitton |
Bridport
|
Brislington
|
Bristol Manor Farm
|
Corsham Town
|
Hallen
|
Ilfracombe Town
|
Larkhall Athletic
|
Longwell Green Sports |
Merthyr Town
|
Odd Down
|
Radstock Town
|
Sherborne Town
|
Street
|
Wells City
|
Willand Rovers
|
Almondsbury UWE |
Bradford Town
|
Cadbury Heath
|
Calne Town
|
Chard Town
|
Devizes Town
|
Elmore |
Gillingham Town
|
Hengrove Athletic
|
Keynsham Town
|
Melksham Town
|
Oldland Abbotonians
|
Portishead Town |
Roman Glass St George
|
Shepton Mallet
|
Shrewton United
|
Wellington
|
Welton Rovers
|
Westbury United
|
, 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. Neither of the former clubs are current members of the Western League, as both have since progressed to the Southern League
.
) | 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
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
league in the south west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, covering Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, western Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, parts of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and parts of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. The league's current main sponsor is Toolstation
Toolstation
Toolstation Ltd is a large UK and EU direct sale and online supplier of trade tools, accessories and hardware products. The company was formed in 2003 by Mark Goddard-Watts four years after the Goddard-Watts family had sold Screwfix Direct in 1999 to the Kingfisher plc group.The company head office...
, so it is also known as the Toolstation League.
Recent restructuring of the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
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
National League System
The National League System comprises the seven levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the Premier League and The Football League. It contains 91 league competitions and more than 1,600 clubs. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association...
.
The champion club may apply for promotion to a Step 4 league, which in practice will almost certainly be the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
Division One South and West. Below the Western League are three local leagues covering smaller areas, the Gloucestershire County League
Gloucestershire County League
The Gloucestershire County League is a football league in England, founded in 1968. The league is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA....
, the Somerset County League and the Wiltshire League. The South West Peninsula League
South West Peninsula League
The South West Peninsula League is a league of football clubs in England, which was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Devon County League and the South Western 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
- Premier Division:
Barnstaple Town
Barnstaple Town F.C.
Barnstaple Town F.C. is a football club that play in Barnstaple, Devon, England. They are currently members of the Western League, a league covering south western England....
|
Bishop Sutton |
Bitton |
Bridport
Bridport F.C.
Bridport Football Club is a football club based in Bridport, Dorset, England. They currently play in the Western League Premier Division.-History:...
|
Brislington
Brislington F.C.
Brislington Football Club is an English football club based in Brislington, in Bristol. The club are currently members of the Premier Division of the Western League. Nicknamed "Briz" and newly "The Foxes", they play at Ironmould Lane...
|
Bristol Manor Farm
Bristol Manor Farm F.C.
Bristol Manor Farm F.C. is an English football team who play in the Western Football League. They play their home games at The Creek, Bristol. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA and Gloucestershire County FA....
|
Corsham Town
Corsham Town F.C.
Corsham Town F.C. is a football club based in Corsham, Wiltshire, England, that competes in the Western Football League. The manager of the club is Trevor Rawlings.-History:...
|
Hallen
Hallen F.C.
Hallen A.F.C. is a football club based in Hallen, near Bristol, England, currently members of the Western League Premier Division. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA....
|
Ilfracombe Town
Ilfracombe Town F.C.
Ilfracombe Town F.C. is a football club based in Ilfracombe, Devon, England. The club was founded in 1902 as Ilfracombe F.C. and became a founder member of the North Devon League in 1904. In 1920, the Town suffix was added to the club's title. In 1922, the club switched to the East Devon League...
|
Larkhall Athletic
Larkhall Athletic F.C.
Larkhall Athletic F.C. are a football club based in Larkhall, in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.The club was founded in 1914, and played local football until joining the Western League when it expanded to two divisions in 1976...
|
Longwell Green Sports |
Merthyr Town
Merthyr Town F.C.
Merthyr Town Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. For the 2011–2012 season the club will be playing in the Western Football League Premier Division at Penydarren Park in Merthyr....
|
Odd Down
Odd Down F.C.
Odd Down F.C. are a football club based in Bath, England. They play at the Lew Hill Memorial Ground, Combe Hay Lane, Odd Down. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.-Club history:...
|
Radstock Town
Radstock Town F.C.
Radstock Town Football Club play in Radstock, Somerset in the Premier Division of the Western Football League. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.-Club history:...
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Sherborne Town
Sherborne Town F.C.
Sherborne Town F.C. are a football club based Sherborne, Dorset, England, who play in the Western Football League Premier Division.-History:Sherborne Town is a semi-professional football club. Founded in 1894, they played their matches at Marston Road. Following the opening of the Terrace playing...
|
Street
Street F.C.
Street F.C. are a football club based in Street, near Glastonbury, in Somerset, England. They play their home matches at The Tannery. The club will play in the Western League Premier Division for the 2011-12 season...
|
Wells City
Wells City F.C.
Wells City F.C. are a football club based in Wells, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.They joined the Western League Division Two in 1929 and won the Western League title in 1950...
|
Willand Rovers
Willand Rovers F.C.
Willand Rovers Football Club is a football club based in Willand, near Exeter, in Devon, England who play in the Western League Premier Division...
|
- Division One:
Almondsbury UWE |
Bradford Town
Bradford Town F.C.
Bradford Town F.C. are a football club based in Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, England. Bradford Town F.C. were founded by Les Stevens in 1992 to bring senior football back to the town. They originally played on the St. Laurence School pitch, Bradford on Avon in the Wiltshire Football League...
|
Cadbury Heath
Cadbury Heath F.C.
Cadbury Heath F.C. are a football club based in Cadbury Heath, Bristol, England. They were among the founding members of the Gloucestershire County League in 1968 and have won the title 7 times and runners-up on 4 occasions....
|
Calne Town
Calne Town F.C.
Calne Town F.C. is a football club based in Calne, Wiltshire, England.-Club history:Calne Town FC was established in 1886 and joined the Western Football League Division One in 1986. They earned promotion to the Premier Division with a runner-up effort in 1992–93, but returned to Division One...
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Chard Town
Chard Town F.C.
Chard Town F.C. is a football club based in Chard, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA. They playing the Western Football League Division One.-Club history:...
|
Devizes Town
Devizes Town F.C.
Devizes Town F.C. is a football club based in Devizes, Wiltshire, England.They are members of the Western Football League Division One. They play at Nursteed Road: the official opening of the ground took place in 1965. The first team is currently managed by Paul Thompson and his assistant Steve Hale...
|
Elmore |
Gillingham Town
Gillingham Town F.C.
Gillingham Town Football Club is a football club based in Gillingham, Dorset, England. Founded on 14 November 1879, the club is the oldest in Dorset, and joined the Dorset Combination in 1970. As of the 2011–12 season, they are members of the Western Football League Division One...
|
Hengrove Athletic
Hengrove Athletic F.C.
Hengrove Athletic F.C. are a football club which is based in the Bristol suburb of Whitchurch. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA....
|
Keynsham Town
Keynsham Town F.C.
Keynsham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club founded in 1895 in Keynsham, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA....
|
Melksham Town
Melksham Town F.C.
Melksham Town F.C. are a football club based in Melksham, Wiltshire, England. They were established in 1876 and joined the Western Football League in 1974....
|
Oldland Abbotonians
Oldland Abbotonians F.C.
Oldland Abbotonians F.C. is a football club based in Oldland Common, near Bristol, England. In the 2006-07 season, they finished third in the Somerset County League, which is a level 11 league of the English football league system. For the 2011-12 season, they are members of the Western Football...
|
Portishead Town |
Roman Glass St George
Roman Glass St George F.C.
Roman Glass St George F.C. is a football club based in the Bristol suburb of St George, Bristol, England. Founded in 1872, they are the oldest club in Bristol...
|
Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet F.C.
Shepton Mallet F.C. are a football club based in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England.-History:They were established in 1986 after the liquidation of Shepton Mallet Town. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA....
|
Shrewton United
Shrewton United F.C.
Shrewton United F.C. are a football club based in Shrewton, Wiltshire, England. They won the Wiltshire Football League Premier Division in 2001-02 and 2002-03...
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Wellington
Wellington (Somerset) F.C.
Wellington A.F.C. are a football club based in Wellington, Somerset, England. They have played at Wellington Playing Fields in North Street since 1954. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA....
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Welton Rovers
Welton Rovers F.C.
Welton Rovers Football Club is an English non-league football club who play at West Clewes, North Road, Midsomer Norton, Somerset in the Western Football League Division One. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.-Early club history:...
|
Westbury United
Westbury United F.C.
Westbury United F.C. are a football club based in Westbury, Wiltshire, England. They joined the Western League in 1984. Westbury played in the Premier Division for ten seasons from 1992, but were relegated back to Division One in 2002 and remain there to this day.The club has been competing in the...
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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 IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 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
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
, Tiverton Town
Tiverton Town F.C.
Tiverton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Tiverton. The club are currently members of the Southern Football League South & West Division and play at Ladysmead.-History:...
twice, Taunton Town
Taunton Town F.C.
Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season...
once and most recently Truro City
Truro City F.C.
Truro City F.C. are an English professional football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently play in the Conference South following five promotions in six seasons. They were founding members of the South Western League in 1951 and won the title five times in their history...
, who beat A.F.C. Totton
A.F.C. Totton
A.F.C. Totton is a football club based in Totton, Hampshire, England. Totton Football Club was founded in 1886 and changed its name to A.F.C. Totton in 1975. The newly established club was among the founding members of the Wessex League in 1986. They are currently members of the Southern League...
in 2007 at the first final to be held at the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
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. Neither of the former clubs are current members of the Western League, as both have since progressed to the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
.
Founder members
Bedminster (later merged with Bristol South End to form Bristol City) | Clevedon (later Clevedon TownClevedon Town F.C.
Clevedon Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Clevedon, North Somerset. They currently play in the Southern League Division One South & West.-History:...
) | Clifton Association
Clifton Association F.C.
Clifton Association Football Club, later known as Clifton Football Club, was a football club based in the Clifton area of Bristol in the late 19th century....
| Eastville Rovers (later Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
) | Mangotsfield
Mangotsfield F.C.
Mangotsfield Football Club was an association football club founded in 1888 in the village of Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire in England. They were a founder member of the Bristol & District League in 1892, where they played for six years before being disbanded in 1898.Several attempts were made to...
| St. George (later merged with Roman Glass F.C. to form Roman Glass St George
Roman Glass St George F.C.
Roman Glass St George F.C. is a football club based in the Bristol suburb of St George, Bristol, England. Founded in 1872, they are the oldest club in Bristol...
) | Trowbridge Town
Trowbridge Town F.C.
Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:...
| Warmley
Warmley F.C.
Warmley F.C. was a football club based in Warmley, near Kingswood, England. They were formed in 1882. They are widely regarded as playing the first organised football match in the Bristol region against St George....
| Wells
Wells City F.C.
Wells City F.C. are a football club based in Wells, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.They joined the Western League Division Two in 1929 and won the Western League title in 1950...
List of champions
|
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|
|
Teams promoted to Southern League (since 1946)
| Year | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Weymouth Weymouth F.C. Weymouth F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Weymouth, who currently play in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:Weymouth Football Club were founded in 1890 and played their first game on 24 September of that year... |
3rd |
| 1957 | Poole Town Poole Town F.C. Poole Town F.C. is a football club based in Poole, England. They were established in 1890 and joined the Western League Division Two in 1930. They won the Western League title in 1957 and reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup four times in their history. They are currently members of the... |
1st |
| 1958 | Trowbridge Town Trowbridge Town F.C. Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:... |
5th |
| 1968 | Salisbury Salisbury City F.C. Salisbury City Football Club is an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire currently playing in the Conference South. They were formed in 1947 and play at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium... |
2nd |
| 1971 | Andover Andover F.C. Andover F.C. was a football club based in Andover, Hampshire, established in 1883. Since the 2007–08 season, Andover had been a member of the Southern League Division One South and West at Step 4 of the National League System... |
2nd |
| 1972 | Bideford | 1st |
| 1972 | Dorchester Town Dorchester Town F.C. Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England, and currently playing in the Blue Square Bet South... |
7th |
| 1977 | Taunton Town Taunton Town F.C. Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season... |
9th |
| 1982 | Bridgwater Town Bridgwater Town F.C. Bridgwater Town Football Club are a football club from Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The original version of the club was founded in 1898. They currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club plays their home games at Fairfax Park... |
3rd |
| 1992 | Weston-super-Mare | 1st |
| 1993 | Clevedon Town Clevedon Town F.C. Clevedon Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Clevedon, North Somerset. They currently play in the Southern League Division One South & West.-History:... |
1st |
| 1999 | Tiverton Town Tiverton Town F.C. Tiverton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Tiverton. The club are currently members of the Southern Football League South & West Division and play at Ladysmead.-History:... |
2nd |
| 2000 | Mangotsfield United Mangotsfield United F.C. Mangotsfield United F.C. is an English football club based in Mangotsfield, in the Greater Bristol area, who currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA and Somerset County FA.... |
2nd |
| 2001 | Chippenham Town Chippenham Town F.C. Chippenham Town are an English football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division. They are nicknamed the Bluebirds and they play their home matches at Hardenhuish Park. Their home kit consists of a blue shirt, blue shorts and blue socks... |
2nd |
| 2002 | Taunton Town Taunton Town F.C. Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season... |
2nd |
| 2003 | Team Bath Team Bath F.C. Team Bath was an English association football club affiliated with the University of Bath in the city of Bath, Somerset at the turn of the 21st century. The club was formed to allow the players to combine professional football with higher education... |
1st |
| 2004 | Paulton Rovers Paulton Rovers F.C. Paulton Rovers Football Club are an English football club based at the Athletic Field on Winterfield Road in the village of Paulton near Bristol. They were established in 1881 and currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West... |
2nd |
| 2007 | Bridgwater Town Bridgwater Town F.C. Bridgwater Town Football Club are a football club from Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The original version of the club was founded in 1898. They currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club plays their home games at Fairfax Park... |
2nd |
| 2008 | Truro City Truro City F.C. Truro City F.C. are an English professional football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently play in the Conference South following five promotions in six seasons. They were founding members of the South Western League in 1951 and won the title five times in their history... |
1st |
| 2009 | Frome Town Frome Town F.C. Frome Town Football Club is an English football club based Frome, a town in the county of Somerset. Founded in 1904, their nickname is the Robins and they play in a predominantly red kit. Their home is Badgers Hill, which has been the club's ground since their formation... |
2nd |
| 2010 | Bideford | 1st |