At the start of this season the Western League Premier division had increased its travel footprint from 140 miles to over 200 miles, with the average travel distance Premier Division Clubs have made this season rising from 1056 miles to 1527 miles, a 45% increase. The Western League First and Premier Division footprints currently overlap, with sides from Devon and Cornwall being promoted into the Western League and Clubs from Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire finding themselves subject to movement out of the League.

At this stage, the detail of the proposed merger is very limited, pending consultation with the relevant Clubs and Leagues involved. However, the statement alluded to the fact that discussions about this merger had been underway since the Summer of 2021.

The announcement has prompted a flood of speculation from non-league fans about the structure of the new league, its name and which teams would be in it. One popular theory, discussed on the Non League Matters Forum was that a new Division would be created at Step 5, the level of the Western league Premier Division, covering Cornwall and Devon, significantly reducing the mileage for those Clubs, as well as those in the traditional Western League heartland. Indeed, the prospect of former Western League Clubs, such as Cribbs, Corsham, Bradford Town and Roman Glass, returning to the new structure was also discussed, highlighting the importance of the FA undertaking an extensive consultation exercise about these proposals, before any final decisions are made.

Sustainability is a key theme of this proposal, ensuring sides continue to be promoted from both the Western League and South West Peninsula League footprints. At the start of this season the progression of four Cornish Clubs into the Western League Premier Division was a cause of some controversy, with one Cornish manager suggesting that “there is a definitely a feeling, no matter how much people want to deny it, that there are certain Clubs in Cornwall that are not welcome.” Yet, in a recent interview on the Cornish Soccer podcast, Phil Hiscox, the Secretary of the South West Peninsula League chose to address the wider issue that “we’ve got to have a system where the traveling, not just week in week out, but season in season out, doesn’t bankrupt clubs, and doesn’t rely on clubs having huge resources to play at that level. It’s got to be something that is open to any club with the ambition to progress”.

Had these comments come out of Bristol or Bath, they would have been interpreted by some, as perpetuating anti-Cornish sentiment, so for these comments to be made by the Peninsula League Secretary suggests the very real prospect of change. Indeed, history proves that Mr Hiscox has a point, with six sides from Devon and Cornwall resigning from the Toolstation Western League Premier Division, presumably because of the cost of travel, since the early 1990’s.

Going forward, the joint proposals put to the FA by the South West Peninsula League and the Western League have entered a “period of consultation” with stakeholders including; Leagues, Clubs and County FA’s, “before the FA Leagues Committee consider the next steps”. It is believed that any new league structure wouldn’t be ready to commence until the start of the 2023/24 season, at the earliest.

For Clubs like Keynsham, Bitton and Brislington the prospect of 400 mile round trips to Cornwall remains next season. However, for ambitious First Division Clubs like Welton Rovers and Radstock Town, both fighting it out for promotion into the Premier Division through the new play off system, there is now the potential for a far more economically sustainable League structure, that won’t see them disadvantaged by the prospect of success.