Wessex_League

Wessex Football League

Wessex Football League

Association football league in England


The Wessex Football League, known as the Velocity Wessex Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English regional men's football league in southern England. Its members are primarily from Hampshire and Dorset, but clubs from adjoining counties such as Wiltshire, Berkshire, and the Isle of Wight are also eligible. The Premier Division one of the sixteen recognised leagues to form the ninth level of the English football league system (known as Step 5 of the National League System), and Division One is one of seventeen recognised leagues at level 10 (Step 6).

Quick Facts Founded, Country ...

Champions of the Wessex League who meet the relevant ground and financial requirements are eligible for promotion to the Southern League Division One South or Isthmian League Division One South Central.

History

In the summer of 1986 the formation of a Wessex League was discussed. It was proposed to draw clubs from the Hampshire, Dorset, Berks and Bucks, Sussex and Wiltshire FAs. After long discussions the full Football Association approved the league, with the 1986-87 season featuring 17 teams in the league.[1]

Bashley were first champions of the new league, with Brockenhurst finishing last. The 1987–88 season saw the number of teams increase from 17 to 19. Four teams joined the league, but two of the founding teams, Road-Sea Southampton and Portals Athletic, left in unfortunate circumstances.

In its third year of existence, the league was gaining in prestige and this was reflected by the fact that 17 of the 19 clubs remained in the league. 1990–91 saw the league reach previously untouched heights as 20 clubs participated.

In 2004, it absorbed most of the clubs from its feeder league, the Hampshire League, which formed a new Division Two and Division Three. In 2006 the divisions were renamed as the Premier Division and Divisions One and Two. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Division Two was disbanded, and most of the clubs formed a new Hampshire Premier League.[2]

Current members

Premier Division

AFC Portchester
AFC Portchester
AFC Stoneham
AFC Stoneham
Andover New Street
Andover New Street
Baffins Milton Rovers
Baffins Milton Rovers
Blackfield & Langley
Blackfield & Langley
Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst
Christchurch
Christchurch
Cowes Sports
Cowes Sports
Fareham Town
Fareham Town
Hamble Club
Hamble Club
Hythe & Dibden
Hythe & Dibden
Laverstock & Ford
Laverstock & Ford
Lymington Town
Lymington Town
Moneyfields
Moneyfields
Petersfield Town
Petersfield Town
Portland United
Portland United
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury
Sherborne Town
Sherborne Town
United Services Portsmouth
United Services Portsmouth
Map showing the location of teams in Wessex Football League, Premier Division in 2023–24
More information Club, Home ground ...
The area covered by the Wessex League is coloured in yellow.

Division One

More information Club, Home ground ...

Past winners

In 2004, the league expanded to three divisions.

More information Season, Division One ...

In 2006, the divisions were renumbered, with the top division being renamed the Premier Division.

More information Season, Premier Division ...

After the 2006-07 season, Division Two was discontinued.

Wessex League Cup

The Wessex League Cup, or Velocity Wessex League Cup for sponsor purposes, is a domestic cup which all the Wessex League teams participate in.

Wessex League Cup winners

Source:[3]


References

  1. "HISTORY". wessexleague.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. "HISTORY". hpfl.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. "Velocity Wessex League Cup". www.wessexleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Wessex_League, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.