Western Football League [Definition]

This article is about the British league. For the American league with the same name see Western Football League (US).

Western Football League

Country	England
Founded	1892 Events January-June January 1 - Ellis Island begins accepting immigrants to the United States. January 14 - Death of Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, second in line heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Next in line is his younger brother Prince George of Wales. January 15 - James Naismith publishes the rules for basketball. January 20 - At the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, the first official basketball game is played. February 12 - Former President Abraham Lin... [click for more]
Divisions	2
Number of teams	42
Feeder to	Southern LeagueThe Southern League is an English football league for semi-professional and amateur teams. For other uses, see Southern League (disambiguation). ... [click for more]
Levels on pyramid	Level 9-10
Website	Western Football League home page

The Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England God Save the Queen Unofficial: Rule Britannia Land of Hope and Glory Jerusalem...
[click for more]. The league's current main sponsor is Toolstation, so it is also known as the Toolstation League.

Recent restructuring of the English football league systemThe English football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England (though for historical reasons — namely that the league system was originally intended to be United Kingdom-wide — a small number of Welsh clubs also compete)....
[click for more] has placed the two divisions, known as the Premier Division and Division One (which each consist of twenty-two clubs) at the ninth and tenth tiers overall, known as Step 5 and Step 6 of the National League SystemThe National League System, otherwise known as the football pyramid, is a comprehensive league structure for football clubs in England playing below the level of the FA Premier League and The Football League. Comprising some 2,200 leagues and 40,000 clubs playing so-called non-league football, it comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association. The National League System has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and allows even the smallest club to...
[click for more].

The Champion club may apply for promotion to a Step 4 league, which in practice will almost certainly be the Southern LeagueThe Southern League is an English football league for semi-professional and amateur teams. For other uses, see Southern League (disambiguation). ...
[click for more] Division One South and West. Below the Western League are four local leagues covering even smaller areas, the Somerset Senior League, the Wiltshire League, Gloucestershire County League, and the South West Peninsula League Premier Division, which feeds directly into the Western League Premier Division.

Premier Division:

First Division:

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 was a global conflict fought between 1937-1945 or 1939-1945 involving every continent and the majority of the world's states. It was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world....
[click for more], 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 VaseThe FA Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing in the lower regional leagues of England. Prior to 1974, football players were either professionals or amateurs. Professionals were paid to play by their clubs, and the only cup competitions such clubs were allowed to enter were the FA Cup and, for clubs outside The Football League, the FA Trophy. Amateurs, on the other hand, did not get paid by their clubs, and such clubs had their own cup competition, the FA Amateur Cup....
[click for more], Tiverton TownTiverton Town is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed Tivvy and they play their home matches at Ladysmead. Their current manager (As at March 7, 2005) is Martyn Rogers....
[click for more] twice, Taunton Town once and most recently Truro City, who beat A.F.C. Totton at the first final to be held at the new Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley, London, England, which is currently being rebuilt. It stands opposite Wembley Arena....
[click for more] 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 LeagueThe Southern League is an English football league for semi-professional and amateur teams. For other uses, see Southern League (disambiguation). ...
[click for more].

Bedminster | Clevedon (later Clevedon Town) | Clifton Association | Eastville Rovers (later Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C. is the oldest professional football team in Bristol, England. It was formed in 1883 as The Black Arabs (taking the name the Arabs from a rugby team that played on an adjoining pitch and adding black because of their kit colour), and renamed Bristol Rovers in 1897 after briefly being called Eastville Rovers and Bristol Eastville Rovers. The club joined the Southern League in 1899, and were founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920. They currently play in Football Leagu...
[click for more]) | Mangotsfield | St. George | Trowbridge Town | Warmley | Wells

Year	Champions
1893	Warmley
1894	Warmley
1895	Hereford Thistle
1896	Warmley
1897	Warmley
1898	Bristol CityBristol City is a football club in Bristol, England, which plays in Football League One. Its home is Ashton Gate Stadium. As of June 2004, Brian Tinnion is the team's player-manager.... [click for more]
1899	Swindon TownSwindon Town F.C. are an English football team. As of 2003-4, they play in Football League One. They play at the County Ground, Swindon, which has an approximate capacity of 15,500.... [click for more]
1900	Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C. is the oldest professional football team in Bristol, England. It was formed in 1883 as The Black Arabs (taking the name the Arabs from a rugby team that played on an adjoining pitch and adding black because of their kit colour), and renamed Bristol Rovers in 1897 after briefly being called Eastville Rovers and Bristol Eastville Rovers. The club joined the Southern League in 1899, and were founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920. They currently play in Football Leagu... [click for more]
1901	Portsmouth Founded in 1898, Portsmouth Football Club are an English association football club, based in the south coast city port of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, and is currently playing in the Premier League. The club is owned by Serbian-American businessman Milan Mandaric. The best known chant from the Pompey supporters is the "Pompey Chimes" ("Play up Pompey, Pompey play up" sung to the tune of a striking clock).... [click for more]
1902	Portsmouth
1903	Portsmouth
1904	Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. is a North London association football team, also known by the nickname Spurs. Their home ground is White Hart Lane in Tottenham. Their motto is Audere Est Facere (To Dare Is To Do).... [click for more]
1905	Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle by season: 2001/02 - 2002/03 - 2003/04 - 2004/05 Plymouth Argyle Football Club, also known as the Pilgrims and based in Plymouth, are one of only two football clubs in the English Football League to play in a principally green home strip. Traditionally the team play in a white away strip, but this was changed to one which was principally tangerine in colour for the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons, an act of homage to their highly successful former manager Paul Sturrock whose supported club, Dun... [click for more]
1906	Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers are an English football team, from Shepherd's Bush, London. The team currently plays in the Football League Championship after finishing second in the Second Division.... [click for more]
1907	West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C are a professional English football club based in East London. They play at the Boleyn Ground, which is known more commonly as Upton Park due to its location in the London district of the same name and the London Underground tube station used to travel to the football ground. They are nicknamed "The Hammers" by the media, but are better known as "The Irons" by their own fans. The club has a training facility at Chadwell Heath, adjacent to the railway line from which the team may occasion... [click for more] Reserves
1908	Millwall Millwall Football Club is a football team based at the 20,146 capacity New Den Stadium in south-east London, England. They currently play in the Football League Championship.... [click for more]
1909	Millwall
1910	Treharris
1911	Bristol City Reserves
1912	Welton Rovers
1913	Bristol Rovers Reserves
1914	Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club is a football team based in Cardiff. They currently play in the Football League Championship. Their current ground is Ninian Park, but the club are in the process of planning and construcing a new stadium to be located opposite the old one. They are managed by Lennie Lawrence. The existing Chairman of the club is the well-known Lebanese businessman Sam Hammam.... [click for more] Reserves
1915-19	No competition due to World War IWorld War I (also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations, and the "War to End All Wars") was a world conflict occurring from 1914 to 1918. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers, or involved so many in the field of battle. Never before had casualties been so high. Chemical weapons were used for the first time, the first mass bombardment of civilians from the sky was executed, and some of the century's first large-scale civilian massacres took place during the war. F... [click for more]
1920	Douglas
1921	Bristol City Reserves
1922	Yeovil and Petters United Yeovil Town F.C. are an English football team based in Yeovil. The club currently plays in Football League Two. Along with Plymouth Argyle, they are in a minority of English clubs to play in a largely green strip. Even so, for the 2003/2004 season they play mostly in white with green stripes.... [click for more]
1923	WeymouthWeymouth F.C. are an English Association football (soccer) club, who currently play in the Conference South Division. They were managed by former Leicester, Portsmouth and Millwall striker, Steve Claridge until his sacking in October 2004.... [click for more]
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 CityExeter City F.C. is an English football club, based in Exeter, who have played in the English Football League for most of its history, but now play in the Nationwide Conference.... [click for more] Reserves
1932	Plymouth Argyle Reserves
1933	Exeter City Reserves
1934	Bath CityBath City is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed The Romans and they play their home matches at Twerton Park. Their current manager (As at March 7, 2005) is Gary Owers.... [click for more]
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 WWII
1946	Bristol Rovers Reserves
1947	Trowbridge Town
1948	Trowbridge Town
1949	Glastonbury
1950	Wells City
1951	Glastonbury
1952	Chippenham TownChippenham Town is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed The Bluebirds and they play their home matches at Hardenhuish Park. History 1904/05 - Joined Western League Division Two. 1906 - Left Western League. 1930/31 - Rejoined Western League. 1945/46 - Western League runner-up. 1951/52 - Western League Champions. 1954/55 - Western League runner-up. 1965 - Left Western League. 1968/69 - Joined Hellenic League Premier Division. 1973/74 - Rejoined Western League. 1976 - Re... [click for more]
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 Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football team based in Torquay. They currently play in Football League One. The club plays in a distinct yellow and navy strip. Its local rivals are the other two professional Devon clubs; Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle as well as Yeovil Town. However local derbies are currently rare due to Plymouth, Exeter and Yeovil being in different divisions.... [click for more] 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

Year	Champions
1985	Saltash United
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 TownTiverton Town is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed Tivvy and they play their home matches at Ladysmead. Their current manager (As at March 7, 2005) is Martyn Rogers.... [click for more]
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 BathTeam Bath is a football club currently playing in the Southern League.They play their home matches at Sports Training Village.... [click for more]
2004	Bideford
2005	Bideford
2006	Bideford
2007	Corsham Town
2008	Truro City

Year	Team	Position
1949	WeymouthWeymouth F.C. are an English Association football (soccer) club, who currently play in the Conference South Division. They were managed by former Leicester, Portsmouth and Millwall striker, Steve Claridge until his sacking in October 2004.... [click for more]	3rd
1957	Poole Town	1st
1958	Trowbridge Town	5th
1968	Salisbury	2nd
1971	Andover	2nd
1972	Bideford	1st
1972	Dorchester Town	7th
1977	Taunton Town	9th
1982	Bridgwater Town	3rd
1992	Weston-super-Mare	1st
1993	Clevedon Town	1st
1999	Tiverton TownTiverton Town is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed Tivvy and they play their home matches at Ladysmead. Their current manager (As at March 7, 2005) is Martyn Rogers.... [click for more]	2nd
2000	Mangotsfield United	2nd
2001	Chippenham TownChippenham Town is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed The Bluebirds and they play their home matches at Hardenhuish Park. History 1904/05 - Joined Western League Division Two. 1906 - Left Western League. 1930/31 - Rejoined Western League. 1945/46 - Western League runner-up. 1951/52 - Western League Champions. 1954/55 - Western League runner-up. 1965 - Left Western League. 1968/69 - Joined Hellenic League Premier Division. 1973/74 - Rejoined Western League. 1976 - Re... [click for more]	2nd
2002	Taunton Town	2nd
2003	Team BathTeam Bath is a football club currently playing in the Southern League.They play their home matches at Sports Training Village.... [click for more]	1st
2004	Paulton Rovers	2nd

Official Site

English football league systemThe English football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England (though for historical reasons — namely that the league system was originally intended to be United Kingdom-wide — a small number of Welsh clubs also compete)....
[click for more] – Level 9 & 10

Promotion to: Southern LeagueThe Southern League is an English football league for semi-professional and amateur teams. For other uses, see Southern League (disambiguation). ...
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Relegation to: Somerset Senior League, Wiltshire Football League, Gloucestershire County League, South West Peninsula League Premier Division

League competitions	The FA The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England (and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). The FA was established in 1863 and is the oldest football association in the world. It was instrumental in formulating the rules of the modern game and has a special place in the history of the sport. It is a member of UEFA and FIFA, and holds a permanent seat on the International Football Association Board (IFAB).... [click for more]	Cup competitions
Premier LeagueThe FA Premier League (often referred to as the Barclays Premiership for sponsorship reasons) comprises the top 20 football clubs in the league system of English football. It was created in 1992, when the top division football clubs broke away from the Football League after securing a greatly improved TV rights deal with the then fledgling satellite television company Sky Television. The new name was merely a branding exercise as there was no innovation in competitive terms; an identical first tier league h... [click for more]	England The England national football team is organised under the auspices of The Football Association, the governing body for football in England, and represents England (not the whole UK) in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. As the IOC does not accept regional representative teams, the UK does not compete in Olympic football.... [click for more] (B) (C)	FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the main "knockout" cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world. As such its prestige as the sport's premier domestic cup competition is without par around the world. As it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is great scope for "giant-killers" from the lower divisions to eliminate top clubs from the tournam... [click for more]
The Football LeagueThe Football League is an organisation representing 72 professional football clubs in England and Wales, and runs the oldest professional football league competition in the world. It also organises two knockout cup competitions. The Football League was founded in 1888 with 12 member clubs, but steady growth and the addition of more divisions meant that by 1959 the League had 92 clubs. Financial considerations led to a major shake-up in 1992 when, in a step to maximise their revenue, the leading members of T... [click for more] (ChampThe Football League Championship (often referred to as The Championship for short or the Coca-Cola Football League Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system.... [click for more], 1Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system.... [click for more], 2Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.... [click for more])	(U-21) (U-20) (U-19)	Football League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. Like the more prestigious FA Cup, it is played on a knockout (single elimination) basis. Unlike the FA Cup, only the 92 members of The Football League (who organise the competition) and FA Premier League can enter. The winners qualify for the UEFA Cup, if they have not qualified for European competition in some other way.... [click for more]
Football ConferenceThe Football Conference is a football league at the top of the National League System of so-called non-league football in England. Conference National is the highest of the three divisions within The Football Conference, and Conference North and Conference South serve as regional feeders one step down. The Football Conference consisted of only one division up until 2004, but expanded as part of an extensive restructuring of the National League System which took effect beginning with the 2004-05 season.... [click for more] (NatConference National (often referred to as the Nationwide Conference for sponsorship reasons) is the top division of the Football Conference. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system. Two clubs from Conference National are eligible for promotion to the Football League Two at the end of each season, and the three bottom clubs are liable to be relegated to either Conference North or Conference South, the lower regional divisions of Th... [click for more], NConference North (often referred to as Nationwide North for sponsorship reasons) is a new division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at the second level of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of the English football league system.... [click for more], SConference South (often referred to as Nationwide South for sponsorship reasons) is a new division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference North it is at the second level of the National League System, and at the sixth tier overall of the English football league system.... [click for more])	(U-18) (U-17) (U-16)	FA Community ShieldThe FA Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is an English association football trophy. It is contested in an annual match between the champions of the FA Premier League and the winners of the FA Cup. If a team wins The Double (both the Premiership and the FA Cup), the Double winner plays the Premier League runner-up. Traditionally the game is played on the weekend before the start of the regular domestic season. Currently, the game is played at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales whilst Wembley S... [click for more]
Northern PremierThe Northern Premier League, known in recent years as the UniBond League under a title sponsorship contract, is one of the three regional English football leagues whose champions are promoted to the Football Conference, currently called the Nationwide Conference. From now on its champions will be promoted to the Conference North division rather than the national.... [click for more] (PremThe Premier Division is the top division of the Northern Premier League. It is one of the fifth divisions down in the English football league system. For sponsorship reasons, it is often referred to as the UniBond League Premier Division.... [click for more], 1N, 1S)	List of clubsThis is a list of football clubs located in England and the leagues and divisions they play in (though note that not all play in the English football league system). Also included in this list are the few clubs from outside England that play in the English system.... [click for more]	Football League TrophyThe Football League Trophy is the generic name of an English football competition for clubs in the two lower divisions of the Football League, the official name of which is frequently changed to match changes in sponsors, and which is presently called the LDV Vans Trophy. It is frequently referred to as the Associate Members' Cup, though that name is now an anachronism as there is no longer a distinction between full and associate membership of the League.... [click for more]
Southern League (Prem, 1Mid, 1S&W)	List of venues	FA TrophyThe FA Trophy is an English football competition for clubs playing in the Football Conference,Southern League,Isthmian League,and Northern Premier League.Clubs at lower levels of the National League System play in the FA Vase.... [click for more]
Isthmian LeagueThe Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England. It is more commonly known by the name of its official title sponsor as the Ryman League, and before that as the Diadora League, ICIS League and Vauxhall-Opel League.... [click for more] (PremThe Premier Division is the top division of the Isthmian League. It was at the sixth tier of the English football league system from 1985-2004 but is now at the seventh tier. For sponsorship reasons, it is often referred to as the Ryman League Premier Division.... [click for more], 1N, 1S)	(by capacity)	Conference League Cup
English football league system	List of leagues... [click for more]	FA VaseThe FA Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing in the lower regional leagues of England. Prior to 1974, football players were either professionals or amateurs. Professionals were paid to play by their clubs, and the only cup competitions such clubs were allowed to enter were the FA Cup and, for clubs outside The Football League, the FA Trophy. Amateurs, on the other hand, did not get paid by their clubs, and such clubs had their own cup competition, the FA Amateur Cup.... [click for more]
	Records League Records in this section refer to The Football League from its founding in 1888 through to 1992, and to both the FA Premier League and The Football League from 1992 to the present.... [click for more]	FA NLS CupThe FA National League System Cup is a new football competition run by The Football Association. It was created in the 2003/04 season to provide an English representative in the UEFA Regions Cup.... [click for more]
	Foreign players