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Shropshire County Premier Football League

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Shropshire County Premier Football League
Founded1950
Folded2012
Country England
DivisionsPremier Division
Division One
Number of teams30 (2011–12)
Level on pyramid13 and 14
Feeder toWest Midlands (Regional) League Division Two
Domestic cup(s)Premier Division Cup
Division One Cup
Ron Jones Memorial Cup

SFA:
Challenge Cup
Junior Challenge Cup

Commander Ethelston Charity Cup
Last championsNewport Town
(2011–12)

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 which sat at levels 13 and 14 of the English football league system. It was dissolved in May 2012 and all member clubs transferred to a new, larger Mercian Regional Football League for the 2012–13 season.[1][2]

Clubs who won this league were promoted to the West Midlands (Regional) League[3] (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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

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

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Premier Division

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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.[7]

Church Stretton v Newport in the 2011–12 season, at Russell's Meadow – fixed posts around the pitch and dugouts are ground requirements for teams in the Premier Division.
Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season points
Broseley Juniors Birchmeadow, Cockshutt Lane, Broseley 12th 22
Church Stretton Town Russell's Meadow, Church Stretton 10th 36
Dawley Villa Doseley Road, Dawley, Telford 11th 30
Ellesmere Rangers Reserves Beech Grove, Ellesmere 8th 36
FC Hodnet Hodent Social Club, Hodnet 7th 41
Impact United Grainger Drive, Leegomery, Telford 14th 5
Ketley Bank United Ketley Recreation Ground, Bank Way, Ketley Bank, Telford 2nd 51
Ludlow Town The SBS Stadium, Ludlow 6th 42
Morda United Weston Road Ground, Morda 3rd 45
Newport Town Shuker Field, Barnmeadow Road, Newport 1st 55
Shifnal United Idsall Sports Centre, Shifnal 9th 36
Telford Juniors Doseley Road, Telford 5th 43
Wellington Amateurs Reserves School Grove, Oakengates, Telford 4th 44
Whitchurch Alport Reserves Yockings Park, Black Park Road, Whitchurch 13th 18

Division One

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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)[5] 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.

A number of teams use grounds of higher-league clubs, especially the reserve sides; shown here is Park Hall, home ground of TNS.
Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season points
Allscott Allscott Sports & Social, Allscott 1st 71
Bishops Castle Town Community College, Bishop's Castle 9th 41
Brown Clee Hall Meadow, Cleobury North 10th 36
Clee Hill United Cleobury Mortimer Leisure Centre, Cleobury Mortimer 16th 15
Hanwood United Reserves Hanwood Recreation Ground, Hanwood 4th 57
Hopesgate United Minsterley Playing Field, Minsterley 14th 23
Ludlow Town Reserves The SBS Stadium, Ludlow 15th 18
Meole Brace Church Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury 12th 31
Oakengates Athletic Hadley Learning Centre, Telford 3rd 61
Oswestry Lions The Venue, Park Hall, Oswestry 8th 50
Prees United Prees Cricket and Recreation Club, Brades Road, Prees 7th 51
Rock Rovers Sports Village, Sundorne, Shrewsbury 6th 53
Shawbury United Reserves Springfield Recreation Ground, Sutton Farm, Shrewsbury† 11th 35
Weston Rhyn Weston Rhyn Playing Fields, Weston Rhyn 2nd 63
Wrockwardine Wood Juniors Oakengates Leisure Centre, New Road, Wrockwardine Wood 13th 28
Wroxeter Rovers Unison Sports Club, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury 5th 53

†Began the season playing at RAF Shawbury's "Dawsons Rough" pitch, but moved to Springfield in October 2011.[8]

2010–11 season

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Premier Division

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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.[9] 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.[10]

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 points
Broseley Juniors Birchmeadow, Cockshutt Lane, Broseley 8th 23
Dawley Villa Doseley Road, Dawley, Telford 12th 9
Ellesmere Rangers Reserves Beech Grove, Ellesmere 2nd 49
FC Hodnet Hodent Social Club, Hodnet 5th 39
Haughmond Sports Village, Sundorne, Shrewsbury 1st 53
Impact United Grainger Drive, Leegomery, Telford 9th 17
Ketley Bank United Ketley Recreation Ground, Bank Way, Ketley Bank, Telford 7th 29
Ludlow Town The SBS Stadium, Ludlow 3rd 44
Morda United Weston Road Ground, Morda 11th 16
Newport Town Shuker Field, Barnmeadow Road, Newport 4th 41
Shifnal United Idsall Sports Centre, Shifnal 6th 34
Telford Juniors Doseley Road, Telford 10th 16

Division One

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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.[11]

Team name Home ground 2010–11 finish 2010–11 season points
Atlas Allscott Sports & Social, Allscott 5th 31
Bishop's Castle Town Community College, Bishop's Castle 7th 30
Brown Clee Hall Meadow, Cleobury North 9th 24
Church Stretton Town Russell's Meadow, Church Stretton 2nd 37
Clee Hill United Cleobury Mortimer Leisure Centre, Cleobury Mortimer 11th 7
Hanwood United Reserves Hanwood Recreation Ground, Hanwood 8th 24
Meole Brace Church Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury 10th 14
Oakengates Athletic Hadley Learning Centre, Telford 6th 30
Wellington Amateurs Reserves School Grove, Oakengates, Telford 1st 45
Whitchurch Alport Reserves Yockings Park, Black Park Road, Whitchurch 3rd 32
Wroxeter Rovers Unison Sports Club, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury 4th 31

League champions

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Shropshire Alliance

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The Shropshire Alliance's logo

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.[5] Being a feeder to the County League, the Shropshire Alliance was effectively at level 15 of the English football pyramid.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ FA Full Time Dissolution of the Shropshire County Premier Football League
  2. ^ Shropshire Star Big shake-up of Shropshire football league system (10 March 2012)
  3. ^ History page on the WMRL's website[usurped]
  4. ^ Shropshire Star
  5. ^ a b c Shropshire Star Sadness as football league wound up (6 July 2011)
  6. ^ Bauckham, David (2006). Dugouts. New Holland. ISBN 1-84537-478-9.
  7. ^ The FA (Full-Time League Websites) Morda United 3 – 0 Ludlow Town
  8. ^ Shawbury United Reserves Latest News – 13 October 2011
  9. ^ BBC News Haughmond win Shropshire Premier League
  10. ^ The FA (Full-Time League Websites) Haughmond 1 – 2 FC Hodnet
  11. ^ The FA (Full-Time League Websites) Bishops Castle Town 1 – 2 Wellington Amateurs Reserves
  12. ^ a b c Official website
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