Western Football League


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 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. The South West Peninsula League Premier Division is also a feeder to the Western League but due to having Step 6 status, it feeds directly into the Western League Premier Division.

List of 2019–20 member clubs

Premier Division

ClubHome ground
BittonRecreation Ground
Bradford TownTrowbridge Road
Bridgwater TownFairfax Park
BridportSt Mary's Field
BrislingtonBrislington Stadium
Buckland AthleticHomers Heath
Cadbury HeathSpringfield
Clevedon TownHand Stadium
CribbsThe Lawns
Exmouth TownSouthern Road
HallenThe Hallen Centre
Keynsham TownCrown Field
Odd DownLew Hill Memorial Ground
Plymouth ParkwayBolitho Park
Roman Glass St. GeorgeOaklands Park
Shepton MalletThe Playing Fields
StreetThe Tannery
TavistockLangsford Park
WellingtonThe Playing Field
Westbury UnitedMeadow Lane

Division One

History

The league was formed in 1892 as the Bristol & District League, and became the Western League in 1895. Another Bristol & District League was later formed, which remains active at a much lower level than the Western 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

Teams promoted to Southern League (since 1946)