The Shropshire County Premier Football League was an English association football league based in the county of Shropshire. The league, usually known as the Shropshire County League, was founded in 1950 and in the final season had two divisions. It was dissolved in May 2012 and all member clubs transferred to a new, larger Mercian Regional Football League for the 2012–13 season.FA Full Time Dissolution of the Shropshire County Premier Football LeagueShropshire Star Big shake-up of Shropshire football league system (10 March 2012)
Clubs who won this league were promoted to the West Midlands (Regional) League (all champions 2008–2012 were), although on occasion teams (such as Shifnal Town in 1993) instead moved into the Midland Football Combination. The champions of the 2011–12 season – the final season for the league – were Newport Town.
Teams from the Telford Combination were sometimes promoted into the league, as Impact United did in 2008 and Ketley Bank United in 2009.Shropshire Star Teams from the Shropshire Alliance were also able to be promoted into the league, as Rock Rovers did in 2011, however the Alliance folded with its last season being 2010–11.Shropshire Star Sadness as football league wound up (6 July 2011)
The grounds of several teams in the league, most notably Brown Clee, were featured in David Bauckham's book Dugouts, which noted the high frequency of dugouts with lockable doors which are also used for storage, a feature seemingly unique to clubs in Shropshire.
All scores of the league's Saturday afternoon games were read out on BBC Radio Shropshire, around an hour after full-time.
2011–12 season
Premier Division A total of 14 teams took part in the Premier Division in the 2011–12 season, an increase of two from the previous season. 2010–11 champions Haughmond had been promoted to the West Midlands (Regional) League, no team had been relegated from the Premier Division, while 3 teams had come up from Division One: Wellington Amateurs Reserves, Church Stretton Town and Whitchurch Alport Reserves.
Morda United won the Premier Division Cup, beating Ludlow 3–0 in the final.The FA (Full-Time League Websites) Morda United 3 – 0 Ludlow Town
Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season pointsBroseley JuniorsBirchmeadow, Cockshutt Lane, Broseley12th22Church Stretton TownRussell's Meadow, Church Stretton10th36Dawley VillaDoseley Road, Dawley, Telford11th30Ellesmere Rangers ReservesBeech Grove, Ellesmere8th36FC HodnetHodent Social Club, Hodnet7th41Impact UnitedGrainger Drive, Leegomery, Telford14th5Ketley Bank UnitedKetley Recreation Ground, Bank Way, Ketley Bank, Telford2nd51Ludlow TownThe SBS Stadium, Ludlow6th42Morda UnitedWeston Road Ground, Morda3rd45Newport TownShuker Field, Barnmeadow Road, Newport1st55Shifnal UnitedIdsall Sports Centre, Shifnal9th36Telford JuniorsDoseley Road, Telford5th43Wellington Amateurs ReservesSchool Grove, Oakengates, Telford4th44Whitchurch Alport ReservesYockings Park, Black Park Road, Whitchurch13th18
Division One With the demise of the Shropshire Alliance football league, a total of six teams transferred from the Alliance to the County League: Hopesgate United, Ludlow Town Reserves (they played in the Alliance as Ludlow Town Colts), Oswestry Lions, Prees United, Rock Rovers (2010–11 Alliance champions) and Weston Rhyn. Further, a reserve team of Shawbury United were formed and joined the County League in this division, and Wrockwardine Wood Juniors were promoted from the Shropshire Minor League (they played previously as Oakengates Rangers U18) skipping the Telford Combination. Atlas changed their name to Allscott, and completed the season as the division champions.
The number of teams in Division One therefore increased from 11 in the previous season to 16. With the large number of teams in the division, the Division One Cup and the Ron Jones Memorial Cup competitions did not take place this season.
Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season pointsAllscottAllscott Sports & Social, Allscott1st71Bishops Castle TownCommunity College, Bishop's Castle9th41Brown CleeHall Meadow, Cleobury North10th36Clee Hill UnitedCleobury Mortimer Leisure Centre, Cleobury Mortimer16th15Hanwood United ReservesHanwood Recreation Ground, Hanwood4th57Hopesgate UnitedMinsterley Playing Field, Minsterley14th23Ludlow Town ReservesThe SBS Stadium, Ludlow15th18Meole BraceChurch Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury12th31Oakengates AthleticHadley Learning Centre, Telford3rd61Oswestry LionsThe Venue, Park Hall, Oswestry8th50Prees UnitedPrees Cricket and Recreation Club, Brades Road, Prees7th51Rock RoversSports Village, Sundorne, Shrewsbury6th53Shawbury United ReservesSpringfield Recreation Ground, Sutton Farm, Shrewsbury†11th35Weston RhynWeston Rhyn Playing Fields, Weston Rhyn2nd63Wrockwardine Wood JuniorsOakengates Leisure Centre, New Road, Wrockwardine Wood13th28Wroxeter RoversUnison Sports Club, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury5th53
†Began the season playing at RAF Shawbury's "Dawsons Rough" pitch, but moved to Springfield in October 2011.Shawbury United Reserves Latest News – 13 October 2011
2010–11 season
Premier Division Haughmond were the Shropshire County Premier Football League Champions 2010–11 (the side came 2nd in the previous season), and the side also won the Ron Jones Memorial Cup.BBC News Haughmond win Shropshire Premier League By chance the final match of the season took place between the teams at first and second place (Haughmond and Ellesmere Rangers Reserves) and decided the League Champion. Ludlow Town came third in the league, while Dawley Villa finished bottom with just 9 points. FC Hodnet won the Premier Division Cup, beating Haughmond in the final. (Full-Time League Websites) Haughmond 1 – 2 FC Hodnet
Ludlow Town joined the County League this season, having voluntarily dropped three levels from the West Midlands (Regional) League's Premier Division, because of financial difficulties.
Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season pointsBroseley JuniorsBirchmeadow, Cockshutt Lane, Broseley8th23Dawley VillaDoseley Road, Dawley, Telford12th9Ellesmere Rangers ReservesBeech Grove, Ellesmere2nd49FC HodnetHodent Social Club, Hodnet5th39HaughmondSports Village, Sundorne, Shrewsbury1st53Impact UnitedGrainger Drive, Leegomery, Telford9th17Ketley Bank UnitedKetley Recreation Ground, Bank Way, Ketley Bank, Telford7th29Ludlow TownThe SBS Stadium, Ludlow3rd44Morda UnitedWeston Road Ground, Morda11th16Newport TownShuker Field, Barnmeadow Road, Newport4th41Shifnal UnitedIdsall Sports Centre, Shifnal6th34Telford JuniorsDoseley Road, Telford10th16
Division One Wellington Amateurs Reserves were the Division One 2010–11 season champions, while Church Stretton Town came second, and Clee Hill United finished bottom with just 7 points. Wellington also won the Division One Cup, beating Bishop's Castle in the final.The FA (Full-Time League Websites) Bishops Castle Town 1 – 2 Wellington Amateurs Reserves
Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season pointsAtlasAllscott Sports & Social, Allscott5th31Bishop's Castle TownCommunity College, Bishop's Castle7th30Brown CleeHall Meadow, Cleobury North9th24Church Stretton TownRussell's Meadow, Church Stretton2nd37Clee Hill UnitedCleobury Mortimer Leisure Centre, Cleobury Mortimer11th7Hanwood United ReservesHanwood Recreation Ground, Hanwood8th24Meole BraceChurch Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury10th14Oakengates AthleticHadley Learning Centre, Telford6th30Wellington Amateurs ReservesSchool Grove, Oakengates, Telford1st45Whitchurch Alport ReservesYockings Park, Black Park Road, Whitchurch3rd32Wroxeter RoversUnison Sports Club, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury4th31
League champions
SeasonChampionsOfficial website1950–51Lilleshall Miners1951–52Donnington Wood1952–53Donnington Wood1953–54Donnington Wood1954–55Sankeys Wellington1955–56Market Drayton Town1956–57Sentinel1957–58Donnington Wood1958–59Sankeys Wellington1959–60Sankeys Wellington1960–61Donnington Wood1961–62Oswestry Villa1962–63Oswestry Villa1963–64Donnington Wood1964–65Donnington Wood1965–66Sankeys Wellington1966–67Snailbeach White Star1967–68Donnington Wood1968–69Snailbeach White Star1969–70Roden Rovers1970–71Belle Vue Old Boys
SeasonChampions1971–72Donnington Wood1972–73Snailbeach White Star1973–74Donnington Wood1974–75Donnington Wood1975–76Shifnal Town1976–77Broseley Athletic1977–78Broseley Athletic1978–79Oakengates Town1979–80Snailbeach White Star1980–81Snailbeach White Star1981–82Snailbeach White Star1982–83Wellington Amateurs1983–84Broseley Athletic1984–85Morda United1985–86Morda United1986–87Morda United1987–88Champion Jockey1988–89Wellington Amateurs1989–90Shifnal Town1990–91Albrighton United1991–92Little Drayton
SeasonChampions1992–93Shifnal Town1993–94Meole Brace1994–95Tibberton United1995–96Oakengates Town1996–97Star Aluminium1997–98Shawbury United1998–99Shawbury United1999–2000Belvidere2000–01abandoned"Stretton and Arms shut out as league closes" - South Shropshire Journal, Friday 13 April 2001 (page 49)2001–02Belle Vue Old Boys2002–03Hanwood United2003–04Ellesmere Rangers2004–05Broseley Juniors2005–06Hanwood United2006–07Hanwood United2007–08Hanwood United2008–09Wem Town2009–10St Martins2010–11Haughmond2011–12Newport Town
Shropshire Alliance
The Shropshire Alliance was a football league for Shropshire-based teams that ran from the mid-1970s to 2011. It was formed by the merger of the Shrewsbury and West Shropshire Leagues, which were formed in the late 1940s. At its height it comprised three divisions, but the number of teams fell and by the end of the 2010–11 season only 8 teams remained. It was decided in 2011 to fold the league, and 6 of the member teams came over to the Shropshire County League (one of which, Rock Rovers, were the final season's champions and would have been promoted to the County League in any case). The 2010–11 season was therefore the final season. It was a feeder to the County League.
See also Mercian Regional Football League Shropshire Football Association Shropshire#Football
References