The South West Peninsula League (SWPL) is a football competition in England, which was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Devon County League and the South Western League.[1] The league covers Cornwall, Devon, western Somerset and western Dorset.
 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Divisions | Premier Division East Premier Division West |
| Number of teams | 34 17 (Premier Division East) 17 (Premier Division West) |
| Level on pyramid | Level 10 |
| Feeder to | Western League Premier Division |
| Relegation to | St Piran League Devon League Somerset County League Dorset Premier League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Walter C Parson Cup |
| Current champions | East: Brixham West: St Blazey (2022–23) |
| Website | Official |
| Current: 2023–24 | |
The league consists of two Premier Divisions (East and West), which are ranked at Step 6 in the National League System. Until 2019–20, there was a single Premier Division at Step 6, and two divisions at Step 7 (Division One West and Division One East).
Subject to applying, receiving the required ground grading and finishing high enough in the league table, one club from each Premier Division can be promoted to the Western League Premier Division each season. As of 2022, six clubs have been promoted from the league – Buckland Athletic after finishing as runners-up in 2012, Plymouth Parkway after finishing as champions in 2018, Tavistock and Exmouth Town who were first and second in 2019, and Falmouth Town and Torpoint Athletic who finished as division champions in 2022.
The bottom three clubs from each Premier Division are liable to relegation to the nearest feeder league. The feeder league for Premier Division West is the St Piran Football League, and the main feeder for Premier Division East is the Devon League.[2][3]
The league's principal sponsor is Carlsberg. The League Cup competition is sponsored by Walter C Parson Funeral Directors and is called The Walter C Parson Cup.
Champions edit
| Season | Premier Division | Division One West | Division One East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Bodmin Town | Wadebridge Town | Budleigh Salterton |
| 2008–09 | Bodmin Town | Penzance | Exeter Civil Service |
| 2009–10 | Buckland Athletic | Perranporth | Royal Marines |
| 2010–11 | Buckland Athletic | Camelford | Liverton United |
| 2011–12 | Bodmin Town | Newquay | Liverton United |
| 2012–13 | Bodmin Town | Godolphin Atlantic | Exmouth Town |
| 2013–14 | Plymouth Parkway | Callington Town | Stoke Gabriel |
| 2014–15 | St Austell | Helston Athletic | Tavistock |
| 2015–16 | Bodmin Town | Mousehole | Tiverton Town Reserves |
| 2016–17 | Tavistock | Sticker | Stoke Gabriel |
| 2017–18 | Plymouth Parkway | Millbrook | St Martins |
| 2018–19 | Tavistock | Liskeard Athletic | Stoke Gabriel |
| Season | Premier Division West | Premier Division East |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | No champions; season abandoned (coronavirus pandemic) | |
| 2020–21 | No champions; season curtailed (local lockdowns) | |
| 2021–22 | Falmouth Town | Torpoint Athletic |
| 2022–23 | St Blazey | Brixham |
| 2023–24 | Ivybridge Town | |
Walter C Parson Cup Winners (formerly Throgmorton Cup) edit
- 2007–08 – Bodmin Town
- 2008–09 – Bodmin Town
- 2009–10 – Buckland Athletic
- 2010–11 – Plymouth Parkway
- 2011–12 – Bodmin Town – beating Buckland Athletic 6–5 on penalties (0–0 aet)
- 2012–13 – Bodmin Town
- 2013–14 – Plymouth Parkway
- 2014–15 – Godolphin Atlantic
- 2015–16 – Bodmin Town
- 2016–17 – St Austell
- 2017–18 – Falmouth Town
- 2018–19 – Saltash United
- 2019–20 – No winner; season abandoned
- 2020–21 – Not played
- 2021–22 – Torpoint Athletic
Member clubs edit
The constitutions of the two divisions for 2023–24 are:
| Premier Division East | Premier Division West |
References edit
- ^ Official SWPL Twitter Page
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: FA outline second phase of Non-League restructuring". The Non-League Paper. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Devon FA Step 7 restructure update". Devon FA. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.