Western Football League
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The Western League is a football league in the south west of England. Recent restructuring of the English football league system has placed its two divisions of twenty clubs each at the ninth and tenth tiers overall, known as Step 5 and Step 6 of the National League System, below the Western Division of the Southern League. Below the Western League are five local leagues covering even smaller areas, the Somerset Senior League, South Western League, Wiltshire League, Devon County League, and Gloucestershire County League. The Western League's current main sponsor is Screwfix Direct.
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 the Second World War, many teams played in both the Southern and Western Leagues; the Western League was considered as subservient to the Southern League.
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 Reserves |
| 1915-19 | No competition due to WWI |
| 1920 | Douglas |
| 1921 | Bristol City Reserves |
| 1922 | Yeovil and Petters United |
| 1923 | Weymouth |
| 1924 | Lovells Athletic |
| 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 WWII |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Teams promoted to Southern League (since 1946)
| Year | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Weymouth | 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 Town | 2nd |
| 2000 | Mangotsfield United | 2nd |
| 2001 | Chippenham Town | 2nd |
| 2002 | Taunton Town | 2nd |
| 2003 | Team Bath | 1st |
References
- Football Club History Database (http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm)