Country England | Level on pyramid Levels 18–20 | |
Founded 1907 (as the Bury & District Football League) Divisions Division One
Division Two
Division Three Number of teams 19
7 (Division One)
7 (Division Two)
5 (Division Three) Feeder to Suffolk and Ipswich Football League | ||
The St. Edmundsbury Football League is a football competition based around the town of Bury St Edmunds in England. It has three divisions: One, Two and Three. Its top division sits at level 18 of the English football league system. It is a feeder to the Suffolk and Ipswich Football League and is currently sponsored by Glasswells World of Furniture.
The league is affiliated to the Suffolk County FA.
History
The league was founded in 1907 and for most of its history has been known as the Bury & District Football League. In its early years the league had a much higher status and served a good standard of football in the West Suffolk area. However, in the last 25 years those clubs with better facilities have left the league for higher standard competitions with Bacton Utd 89, Bartons, Cockfield Utd, Elmswell, Sporting 87, Stanton, St.Edmunds 65 (now returned), Thurston, Walsham-le-Willows moving to the Suffolk and Ipswich Football League and Barton Mills, Exning Athletic, Lakenheath, Tuddenham Rovers and West Row Gunners moving to the Cambridgeshire League. A consequence has been a reduction in the number of divisions from three in the 1990s to two over the last decade (with the exception of 2006–07). At the same time the number of teams participating in the league has halved from around 40 teams in the 1990s to 20 teams in the 2011–12 season. The league re-added Division Three for the 2014–15 season though.
In 2007 the Bury & District Football League celebrated its centenary and in the same year made the decision to rename the league as the St. Edmundsbury Football League.
Among the clubs that at one time played in the Bury & District Football League and now compete at a higher level are:
Current clubs in the St. Edmundsbury Football League have very basic facilities and in recent years the champion club has not taken advantage of seeking promotion to the Suffolk and Ipswich League competition. This trend has been broken by Bartons, the 2011–12 champions, who moved up to Division Three of the Suffolk & Ipswich League for the 2012–13 season. Bartons subsequently gained promotion from Division Three to the Suffolk and Ipswich League Division Two in their first season.