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Toolstation Western League
Fixtures
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Saturday 29th July - Premier Division
Brixham v Falmouth Town
Clevedon Town v Buckland Athletic
Helston Athletic v Wellington
Millbrook v Bridgwater United
Oldland Abbotonians v Saltash United
St Blazey v Shepton Mallet
Street v Ilfracombe Town
Torpoint Athletic v Nailsea & Tickenham
Welton Rovers v Barnstaple Town
Tuesday 1st August - Premier Division
Barnstaple Town v Street
Bridgwater United v Brixham
Buckland Athletic v Torpoint Athletic
Falmouth Town v St Blazey
Nailsea & Tickenham v Oldland Abbotonians
Saltash United v Helston Athletic
Shepton Mallet v Wellington
Welton Rovers v Clevedon Town
Interest in promotion from the Premier Division of the Toolstation Western League will be extended from the top two places to the top five, in the 2023/24 season.
The Football Association have announced that next season, there will be a fourteam Play-Off in each of the sixteen Step 5 divisions, the level of the non-league pyramid occupied by the Western Leagues Premier Division, guaranteeing a second promotion place into the Southern League. Last season, Saltash United were denied promotion by Bristol Manor Farm, who managed to retain their Southern League status, defeating their Western League rivals at the Creek.
The FA’s proposals for promotion and relegation, announced in March 2023, have signalled that the inter-step play off is a thing of the past, with Western League Clubs now competing against each other for a playoff place, subject to their facilities meeting ground grading requirements.
Next season, two sides are set to be relegated from the Southern League Division One South, as the FA seek to increase the divisional size at Step 4 to 22 Clubs per division. The FA’s latest reorganisation is good news for Western League Premier Division Clubs as only one side will be liable for relegation next season. From the 2024/25 season, the FA have announced their intention that four Clubs will be relegated from Southern League Division One South, along with the other seven divisions that cover the country at Step 4.
However, the future of the Western League is uncertain going into the 2024/25 season, with an FA working group currently looking into the future structure of Step 5 and 6 football in the South West, following the collapse of the merger between the South West Peninsula League and the Western League, earlier this year.
Should the FA undertake a reorganisation of football in the South West and create an additional Step 5 Division to address the considerable travel distances Clubs currently face, this may impact both how and how many sides are promoted and relegated across the region.