The South Western Football League was an English association football league composed of clubs from Cornwall and west and north Devon. It consisted of a single division at the eleventh overall tier of the English football league system, the seventh and lowest "Step" of the official National League System. The East Cornwall League and Cornwall Combination ranked below the South Western on the overall pyramid, and in turn have feeder leagues of their own.
Champions of the South Western League, whose last principal sponsor was the Carlsberg beer brand via St. Austell Brewery, were eligible for promotion to the lower division of the Western League, but the difficulties Cornish teams have travelling further afield have discouraged applications for promotion. Truro City took this step in 2006. The lowest-ranked clubs in the 2004–05 FA Cup all came from the South Western League, no other clubs from leagues at that pyramid level having been accepted. Among them were St. Blazey, whose record for longest unbeaten streak in league football anywhere in the United Kingdom (75 games) stood until it was broken by AFC Wimbledon in 2004.
The league was formed in 1951 but foundation dates of the member clubs range from the 1880s to 1980s. The league disbanded in 2007, with a merger with the Devon County League to form a new competition covering the whole of Devon and Cornwall called the South West Peninsula League. The new competition's top division is at Step 6 of the National League System, feeding directly into the Premier Division of the Western League.
The League ran a representative team; it played a match against a Football Association Amateur XI on , losing 7–3 at Home Park, Plymouth.
Champions
Source: 1951-2006, 1951-2007
1951-52 - Torquay United Reserves 1952-53 - Torquay United Reserves 1953-54 - Saltash United 1954-55 - St Blazey 1955-56 - Penzance 1956-57 - Penzance 1957-58 - St Blazey 1958-59 - Newquay 1959-60 - Newquay 1960-61 - Truro City 1961-62 – Falmouth Town 1962-63 - St Blazey 1963-64 - St Blazey 1964-65 - Torpoint Athletic 1965-66 – Falmouth Town 1966-67 - Torpoint Athletic 1967-68 – Falmouth Town 1968-69 - St Austell 1969-70 - Truro City 1970-71 – Falmouth Town 1971-72 – Falmouth Town 1972-73 – Falmouth Town 1973-74 – Falmouth Town 1974-75 - Penzance 1975-76 - Saltash United 1976-77 - Liskeard Athletic 1977-78 - Newquay 1978–79 – Liskeard Athletic 1979–80 – Newquay 1980–81 – St Blazey 1981–82 – Newquay 1982–83 – St Blazey 1983–84 – Newquay 1984–85 – Bugle 1985–86 – Falmouth Town 1986–87 – Falmouth Town 1987–88 – Newquay 1988–89 – Falmouth Town 1989–90 – Falmouth Town 1990–91 – Bodmin Town 1991–92 – Falmouth Town 1992–93 – Truro City 1993–94 – Bodmin Town 1994–95 – Launceston 1995–96 – Truro City 1996–97 – Falmouth Town 1997–98 – Truro City 1998–99 – St Blazey 1999–00 – Falmouth Town 2000–01 – St Blazey 2001–02 – St Blazey 2002–03 – St Blazey 2003–04 – St Blazey 2004–05 – St Blazey 2005–06 – Bodmin Town 2006–07 – St Blazey
References