Country England Number of teams 11 | Divisions 1 Level on pyramid Level 20 | |
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Founded 1910 (as the Bristol Church of England League) Feeder to Bristol and District League | ||
The Bristol and Avon Association Football League is a football competition based in England. In July 2011 the league expanded to two divisions, the Premier Division and Division One, but has since contracted back to just one division. It sits at level 21 of the English football league system, making it one of the lowest level leagues in the football pyramid. It is a feeder to the Bristol and District League and is affiliated to the Somerset County FA and Gloucestershire FA. In the 2015–16 season, Little Stoke United were the league champions.
Contents
History
The league was founded as the Bristol Church of England Association Football League in the 1910–11 season. It had three divisions: Simons, St Werburghs and St Marks won the inaugural season's titles. Among the clubs that joined the league in those early years were Avonmouth St Andrews (now known as Avonmouth) and Backwell United.
In the 1960s the league had five senior and three junior divisions, in which the youth teams of local Football League clubs Bristol City and Bristol Rovers participated with success. The league obviously comprised many clubs from the city of Bristol itself but there was also solid representation from North Somerset with clubs such as Norton Hill Rangers, Harptree United, Blagdon, Dundry Athletic and Congresbury. There were also a few clubs from South Gloucestershire such as RWP (now known as DRG Stapleton),Henfield Youth and Pilning Athletic.
The league adopted its current name in 1973.
Records indicate that one former and four current Western Football League sides at one time played in the Bristol Church of England League / Bristol & Avon League, namely:
In addition the reserve side of Longwell Green Sports played in the Bristol & Avon League. Sun Life (now known as Cribbs Friends Life) along with RWP (now known as DRG Stapleton) have progressed to the Gloucestershire County League.
Premier League and FA Cup Final referee Steve Dunn began his career in the league.
The league used to hold their meetings in the old Temple Colston School in the centre of Bristol. The meetings were presided over by the late Jack Jenkins, a charismatic and forceful Chairman. Their names live on in the form of the league's cup competitions – the Jack Jenkins Memorial Cup and the Temple Colston Cup.
The league's centenary dinner was held on 29 October 2010 at which Norman Hunter was the guest speaker. From 2002 until 2011 the league ran only one division but it was expanded again to two divisions for the 2011–12 season.
2016–17 Members
The 1965–66 League Constitution
The early 1960s represented a period of growth for the Bristol Church of England League with the league reaching its zenith in the 1965–66 season when the League Handbook indicates that there were 79 teams in the five senior divisions and 32 teams in the three youth divisions. The league would never again have as many as 111 teams and by the 1966–67 season the competition had already lost one of its youth divisions as the popularity of Sunday football began to increase.
The full constitution for the league, as detailed in the 1965–66 League Handbook, was as follows:
Avon Athletic |Blagdon |B.R.S.A. |Castle Green |Congresbury |Dundry Athletic |Fishponds "A" |Hanham Forest |Harptree United |Henfield Youth |Kenegal United |Lakeside Sports |Lockleaze C.A. |N.D.L.B. |Norton Hill Rangers |St. Paul's
Badminton Road Methodist |Filwood Park |Hanham Mills |Henbury O.B. |Lockleaze C.A. Reserves |Mardon's Stoke Rangers |Nicholas Wanderers Reserves |Oldbury Court |Pilning Athletic |Redcliffe Bay |Russell Town |St. Gregory's Youth |St James |Staple Hill |Totterdown Y.M.C.A. |Waring United
Argyle United |Arnside |Brentry Lodge |Bristol Corinthians |Downend Athletic |Eagle House |John Harveys |Knowle Methodist Y.C. |Maywood Athletic |Olveston United |Ridgeway Rovers |R.W.P. |St Bedes United |St Stephen's Youth Club |Southcliffe United |Wyndham United
Athletico |Clevedon Sports |Kingswood Rangers |Kingswood Y.C. |Made for Ever |Nicholas Wanderers Youth |Oldbury Court Reserves |Pilning Y.C. |Ridgeway Rovers Reserves |St. Ambrose Colts |Shaftesbury Crusade |Somerdale Y.C. |Southmead Spartans |20th Century Y.C. |Warmley Tower Methodist Y.C.
Bedminster Road |Bristol Corinthians Reserves |Bristol Spartak |Broomhill Y.C. |Gardiners |Goodneston Sports |Nailsea United "A" |Patchway Youth Club |Russell Town Reserves |St Andrew's |St James |St Mary's Stanton Drew Reserves |St Stephen's Soundwell |Stockwood Y.C. |Totterdown United |Woodcliffe Athletic
Badminton Road Methodist Y.C. |Bitton |Bristol North |Bristol Rovers Juniors |Court Rangers |Globetrotters United |Henbury O.B. |Somerdale Y.C. |Stapleton |Yate Y.M.C.A. Boys Club
Ashton Athletic |Avonmouth |Avon Villa |Clifton St. Vincent's |Hartcliffe Methodist |Henbury O.B. |Holy Cross Catholic |Holy Cross United |Knowle Teenagers |St George |St Mark's |Sneyd Park Juniors | Wrington
Avonmouth |Bristol North |Coombe Dingle |Henbury O.B. |Henfield Colts |Nailsea United |Northville Rovers |Oldbury Court |Patchway Youth Club