We will start in the South West where I live and breathe. My favourite leagues are the ones that start at Level 10 (Step 6). The football pyramid extends to Level 7 but the Football Association are now pushing for Level 7 to be County Level leagues so anything above that has to be pushed, pulled and pulverised until it fits the dream that the F.A. have.
The South West Peninsula League has always held a fascination for me as I watched teams promoted from the subsidiary division which are free to the Premier Division where they are required to charge money and count the crowd. I always felt that this league allowed a transition from amateur football to the professional game but the F.A. have put paid to that. They want the professional game under their jurisdiction, and the amateur game can make their own rules.
So ... This Season ... There is no league as such. There are now two parallel divisions, one east and one west. I shall watch closely at the end of the season to see where the champions end up as previous to this season the winners of the South West Peninsula and the winners of the Western League Division One were both eligible for promotion to the Western League Premier Division. Now there will be three teams vying to go up so expect there must be three teams coming down in different directions. Relegation and Promotion are rarely one to one at this level.
The two teams at the top of the East Division are Ilfracombe Town in North Devon and Brixham in South Devon. The non league matters league table suggests that both teams will be promoted but I cannot see that unless the F.A. have more changes in mind that they have not announced yet, or are not yet general knowledge. At the bottom and heading for the Devon League are Sidmouth Town, more know for Folk Music than for football.
At the top of the West Division are Helston Athletic from west cornwall and AFC St Austell from east cornwall. At the bottom are Godolphin Atlantic from Newquay heading in the same direction as their airport now that FLYBE have been abandoned by the government despite being acknowledged as an important connector for business personnel around Britain.
There are two more league that start at Level 10 (Step6). One is the East Midlands Counties League that acts as a feeder to the Northern Counties East League. Sherwood Colliery are at the top (was Robin Hood a miner?) and they are closely followed by Eastwood Community. I like it when community football makes the big time. They are followed by Dunkirk (not the French city but the team on the banks of the River Trent in Nottingham), and Heanor Town close to the Eastwood where Robin Hood was rumoured to have lived. At the bottom are Teversal and Borrowash Victoria, two nice name but clubs that I know nothing about.
The last of the Level 10 (Step 6) Leagues is my new favourite. They became my favourite when I read a report that the Football Association want to exclude them from the structure of the pyramid. Short sighted F.A. officials clearly cannot get the league to fit easily into their 1-2-4-8-16-32 format so they do not come up with creative ideas, they simply say "you're OUT!". This must not be allowed to happen and I am sure there are enough people in the midlands who can kick up the necessary stink to force the F.A. to change their minds.
The West Midlands (Regional) League has three divisions and forms a league so the F.A. will want to cut the lower two divisions free but may instead just cut the league free. Division Two is being led by AFC Bentley, closely followed by Church Stretton Town. The league includes teams called Ludlow (lovely place) and Newport Town (a third Newport after Wales and the Isle of Wight). Other teams are from Worcester, Walsall and Bridgnorth.
The West Midlands (Regional) League Division One are led by Droitwich Spa who are eight points clear and I expect to see them in the Premier Division provided that the F.A. have not destroyed the league in time for next season. There are a few familiar names in this division like Old Wulfrunians and Wellington Amateurs as well as Tipton Town and Sikh Hunters.
The professional division is led by Shifnal Town with Bewdley Town and Dudley Town close behind. Wolverhampton Casuals and Wolverhampton Sporting Community are in this division and I remember those name as they take a lot of typing. The two teams likely to go down are Cradley Town and Dudley Sports.
That concludes my ramble about the Step 6 Leagues.
The South West Peninsula League has always held a fascination for me as I watched teams promoted from the subsidiary division which are free to the Premier Division where they are required to charge money and count the crowd. I always felt that this league allowed a transition from amateur football to the professional game but the F.A. have put paid to that. They want the professional game under their jurisdiction, and the amateur game can make their own rules.
So ... This Season ... There is no league as such. There are now two parallel divisions, one east and one west. I shall watch closely at the end of the season to see where the champions end up as previous to this season the winners of the South West Peninsula and the winners of the Western League Division One were both eligible for promotion to the Western League Premier Division. Now there will be three teams vying to go up so expect there must be three teams coming down in different directions. Relegation and Promotion are rarely one to one at this level.
The two teams at the top of the East Division are Ilfracombe Town in North Devon and Brixham in South Devon. The non league matters league table suggests that both teams will be promoted but I cannot see that unless the F.A. have more changes in mind that they have not announced yet, or are not yet general knowledge. At the bottom and heading for the Devon League are Sidmouth Town, more know for Folk Music than for football.
At the top of the West Division are Helston Athletic from west cornwall and AFC St Austell from east cornwall. At the bottom are Godolphin Atlantic from Newquay heading in the same direction as their airport now that FLYBE have been abandoned by the government despite being acknowledged as an important connector for business personnel around Britain.
There are two more league that start at Level 10 (Step6). One is the East Midlands Counties League that acts as a feeder to the Northern Counties East League. Sherwood Colliery are at the top (was Robin Hood a miner?) and they are closely followed by Eastwood Community. I like it when community football makes the big time. They are followed by Dunkirk (not the French city but the team on the banks of the River Trent in Nottingham), and Heanor Town close to the Eastwood where Robin Hood was rumoured to have lived. At the bottom are Teversal and Borrowash Victoria, two nice name but clubs that I know nothing about.
The last of the Level 10 (Step 6) Leagues is my new favourite. They became my favourite when I read a report that the Football Association want to exclude them from the structure of the pyramid. Short sighted F.A. officials clearly cannot get the league to fit easily into their 1-2-4-8-16-32 format so they do not come up with creative ideas, they simply say "you're OUT!". This must not be allowed to happen and I am sure there are enough people in the midlands who can kick up the necessary stink to force the F.A. to change their minds.
The West Midlands (Regional) League has three divisions and forms a league so the F.A. will want to cut the lower two divisions free but may instead just cut the league free. Division Two is being led by AFC Bentley, closely followed by Church Stretton Town. The league includes teams called Ludlow (lovely place) and Newport Town (a third Newport after Wales and the Isle of Wight). Other teams are from Worcester, Walsall and Bridgnorth.
The West Midlands (Regional) League Division One are led by Droitwich Spa who are eight points clear and I expect to see them in the Premier Division provided that the F.A. have not destroyed the league in time for next season. There are a few familiar names in this division like Old Wulfrunians and Wellington Amateurs as well as Tipton Town and Sikh Hunters.
The professional division is led by Shifnal Town with Bewdley Town and Dudley Town close behind. Wolverhampton Casuals and Wolverhampton Sporting Community are in this division and I remember those name as they take a lot of typing. The two teams likely to go down are Cradley Town and Dudley Sports.
That concludes my ramble about the Step 6 Leagues.
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