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Bristol Downs Association Football League

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Bristol Downs Association
Football League
Founded1905
CountryEngland
Divisions4
Number of teams39
League cup(s)Norman Hardy Cup (Divisions 1 & 2)
All Saints Cup (Divisions 3 & 4)
Current championsJersey Rangers FC
(2022-23)
Websitebristoldownsleague.co.uk

The Bristol Downs Association Football League is an English football league based in the city of Bristol. It is a completely standalone league system which does not feed into the English football league pyramid.[1] The Downs League is unusual in that all matches are played on one site, namely the large open space known as Bristol Downs. The league is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.

History

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Organised football first began to be played in Bristol in the 1880s and football started on the Downs around the same time, helped by the introduction of a tram route from the city centre to the top of Blackboy Hill. The Downs League was formed in 1905 with 30 founder members, all of them teams who were already playing in the city and on the Downs' many pitches. One of the founder member clubs, Sneyd Park, remains in the league to this day, having played in the top division of the league in every season since its foundation. Clifton St Vincents joined the league in its second season and have also clocked up 100 years of membership.

In the 1920s the league's top side was Union Jack FC, who won the league nine times in ten seasons and even managed to beat the much higher-ranked Cheltenham Town 6–3 away in the FA Cup in 1925. Future Arsenal star Eddie Hapgood turned out for Union Jack before going on to Football League and international stardom. Another player with Union Jack was Wally Hammond, a future England cricket captain.

In the 1930s Dockland Settlement won six championships in seven seasons. The years after the Second World War was probably when the league was at its strongest, with many players leaving the league to turn professional.

In the 1950s Clifton St. Vincents won six league titles, but St. Gabriels equalled Union Jack's record of seven successive titles between 1969 and 1975. In recent years Clifton St. Vincents, Torpedo and Sneyd Park have been the dominant sides in the league.

Today the league boasts around 40 teams in four divisions. There are also two knockout cup competitions – the Norman Hardy Cup (for teams from Divisions One and Two) and the All Saints Cup (for teams from Divisions Three and Four). BBC Bristol maintains a keen interest in the league, with news and features.[1][2]

Past champions

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All information from the Full Time website.[3]

Season Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Division 4
2010–11 Sneyd Park Sneyd Park Reserves Jersey Rangers Saints Old Boys Reserves
2011–12 Torpedo DAC Beachcroft Saints Old Boys Reserves Helios
2012–13 Sneyd Park Portland Old Boys Old Cliftonians Luccombe Garage
2013–14 Clifton St Vincents Sneyd Park Reserves Easton Cowboys Reserves Durdham Down Adult School
2014–15 Sneyd Park Torpedo Reserves Old Elizabethans Old Cliftonians Reserves
2015–16 Torpedo Old Elizabethans Sneyd Park A Saints Old Boys A
2016–17 Sneyd Park Jersey Rangers Old Cliftonians Reserves Jersey Rangers Reserves
2017–18 Sneyd Park Sneyd Park Reserves Sneyd Park A Cotham old Boys
2018–19 Sneyd Park St Andrews Sneyd Park A APS
2019-20
2020-21
2021–22 Sneyd Park Sneyd Park Reserves Sporting Turin Phoenix Downs

Member clubs 2022–23 season

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ashdown, John; Gardner, Alan (6 January 2010). "Which football club is the greenest? – guardian.co.uk". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Downs League is 100! – BBC Bristol Sport". Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Bristol Downs Association Football League". Full-Time. The Football Association. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
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