Bristol and Suburban Association Football League

Bristol and Suburban
Association Football League
Founded1894
CountryEngland
Divisions6
Number of teams66
Level on pyramidLevels 12 to 17
Feeder toGloucestershire County League
Promotion toGloucestershire County League
Current championsFilton Athletic
(2023–24)
WebsiteOfficial website

The Bristol and Suburban Association Football League is a football competition in England. The league has six divisions, the highest of which sits at level 12 of the English football league system. The league is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA. It is one of three feeders to the Gloucestershire County League.

History

[edit]

The Bristol and Suburban Association Football League was formed in 1894 under the name North Bristol and District Association Football League. The inaugural meeting of the League was held on 14 September 1894, at the Phoenix Coffee Palace, which was situated in Ashley Road, Montpelier, Bristol. This meeting was attended by representatives of the following clubs who were responsible for setting up the working arrangements and funding of the new League.

  • Beaufort Albion
  • Bethesda
  • Croft End
  • Phoenix Rangers
  • Rose Green
  • Wanderers
  • Westbourne

These seven clubs can be considered the founder members of the League and games commenced at the outset of the 1894–95 season. It was not until 1906 that the League's current name first appeared.[1]

The following trophies are presented by the League

  • Alfred Bosley Memorial Cup – first competed for in 1952–53 by clubs from selected Divisions but currently restricted to Clubs playing in the top three Divisions of the League.
  • Norman Goulding Memorial Cup – competed for each season since 1984–85 by senior teams of the Clubs playing in Division two and below.
  • Tom Pitts Memorial Cup – presented annually since 1984 to the Club Secretary who has administered the affairs of his/her club with outstanding efficiency.[2]

Among the clubs that have left the Bristol and Suburban Association Football League and now compete at a higher level are:

Greenway Sports and Almondsbury both played in the Bristol & Suburban League. Greenway Sports won the Bristol Premier Combination on a number of occasions in the early 1970s. The clubs amalgamated as Almondsbury Greenway in 1974 and reached the final of the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium in 1979, where Almondsbury Greenway were beaten by Billericay Town. The club changed its name to Almondsbury Town and in the 2010/11 season played in Southern Football League Division One South & West where they finished eighth. However, following the loss of their Oaklands Park home venue, the club dropped to the Bristol & Suburban League, and after one season back in the league, folded altogether.

Member clubs 2024–25

[edit]

Champions

[edit]
 Season  Premier
Division One
Premier
Division Two
Division One Division Two Division Three Division Four Division Five Division Six
2004–05 Teyfant Athletic Fishponds Old Boys Bristol Builders Supplies Tyndalls Park Rangers C.T.K. Southside Hartcliffe Old Boys Reserves Potterswood Reserves
2005–06 St Aldhelms Stoke Gifford Old Georgians C.T.K. Southside Southmead Athletic Potterswood Reserves Avonmouth Rangers
2006–07 Avonmouth Winford P.H. T.C. Sports Southmead Athletic Ashton Old Boys Avonmouth Rangers T.C. Sports Reserves
2007–08 St Aldhelms South Glos (Hambrook) Southmead Athletic Wessex Wanderers Bristol Athletic T.C. Sports Reserves Hanham Athletic Colts
2008–09 St Aldhelms[3] Southmead Athletic Bristol Athletic Imperial Saints Mangotsfield United A Lockleaze Reserves Cartwheel Sports
2009–10 St. Aldhelms Bristol Athletic Imperial Saints Cartwheel Sports Lebeq United Wanderers Mangotsfield United 'B'
2010–11 Bristol Telephones Little Stoke Southmead Community
Sport Athletic Reserves
Golden Hill Sports Lawrence Weston Reserves Poker County UK Whitchurch Reserves
2011–12 Southmead Community Sport Athletic Stoke Gifford United Ridings Rangers Reserves Lebeq United Poker County UK St. Annes Town Downend Foresters Reserves
2012–13 Bristol Telephones Ridings High AFC Mangotsfield Stoke Rangers AFC Hartcliffe Downend Foresters Reserves Cadbury Heath 'A' Bristol Bilbao
2013–14 Little Stoke Downend Foresters Stoke Rangers Old Cothamians Bristol Bilbao Park Knowle North Bristol United Sartan United Reserves
2014–15 Stoke Gifford United St Aldhems Bristol Bilbao Rockleaze Rangers 'A' North Bristol United Lawrence Weston 'A' Winford PH Reserves
2015–16 Lebeq United Bristol Bilbao Rockleaze Rangers 'A' Bromley Heath United Bristol Spartak North Bristol Trust Kingswood
2016–17 St Aldhelms Fishponds Old Boys AFC Mangotsfield Reserves Wessex Wanderers North Bristol Trust Cosmos Oldbury Reserves
2017–18 St Aldhelms Bromley Heath United North Bristol United Stoke Rangers Bedminster Cricketers Port of Bristol Reserves Lawrence Weston Reserves
2018–19 Bromley Heath United Stoke Gifford United Stoke Rangers Cosmos AFC Mangotsfield 'A' Bristol Phoenix Park Knowle Reserves
2019–20 Abandoned due to Covid-19 pandemic
2020–21 Teams divided into 11 small "Lockdown Leagues"
2021–22 Stoke Gifford United Broad Plain House Stoke Gifford United Reserves St Vallier Rockleaze Rangers 'C' Stokeside Supreme Sports
2022–23 Avonmouth Redbridge St Vallier Broad Plain House Reserves Hanham Abbotonians Reserves Old Georgians Reserves
2023–24 Filton Athletic St Vallier Broad Plain House Reserves Wessex Wanderers Reserves Red Falcon Southmead Athletic Reserves

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bristol and Suburban Association Football League – League History". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Bristol and Suburban Association Football League – League Trophies". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Results Service – Miscellaneous Final Tables". The Non-League Paper. 31 May 2009. p. 36.
[edit]