New Clubs and Constitution Revealed in SDFL AGM

Photo (c) MiraclePR

Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, things are looking up for the South Devon Football League which accepted no fewer than seven new teams at the AGM last Monday night.

Even before the virus, the SDFL had been hammered by the loss of 11 teams, including nine Premier teams, to the newly formed Devon Football League. This led to the contraction of the league to four divisions for the 2019/20 season.

The AGM was held via the video conferencing platform Zoom with club delegates expressing their vote via the platform’s inbuilt polling system.

The new admissions include two Plymouth-based clubs, The Windmill F.C. and Elburton Villa Reserves, which will go straight into an expanded 16 team Premier Division. The Windmill F.C. were the unbeaten leaders of the Plymouth & West Devon Football League when the 2020/21 season was curtailed. Their club representative at the AGM explained how the club were looking for a challenge. Elburton Villa have a first team that currently plays in the South West Peninsula League Premier East Division.

2017/18 Premier Division champions Ashburton return to the league following a year’s absence and will compete in Division One. South Brent, who last played in the SDFL in the 2014/15 season have also been readmitted and placed in Division Three.

Brixham Town and Liverton United Reserves also return to the league. They last competed in the SDFL in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons respectively.

The remaining successful applicants were Galmpton United Reserves.

The SDFL now has 58 teams and over 1,500 registered players playing Saturday football in South Devon, providing proof that some players prefer not to have to travel all over the county for a game of football.

Following acceptance of the new teams, the club representatives also voted to adopt the 2020/21 constitution based on an assumed starting date in September.

The constitution is as follows:

Premier Division	Division One	Division Two	Division Three
Barton Athletic	Abbotskerswell	Babbacombe Corinthians	Brixham Town
Brixham AFC 2nd	Ashburton	Barton Athletic 2nd	Babbacombe Corinthians 2nd
Broadmeadow STFC	Beesands Rov	Broadhempston United	Chudleigh Athletic 3rd
Buckland Athletic Dev	Buckfastleigh Rangers 2nd	Bishopsteignton United	Galmpton United 2nd
Buckfastleigh Rangers	Chudleigh Athletic 2nd	Dartmouth AFC 2nd	Kingsteignton Athletic 3rd
East Allington United	Kingskerswell & Chelston	Dittisham United	Kingsbridge & Kellaton United
Elburton Villa 2nd	Kingsteignton Athletic 2nd	East Allington United 2nd	Liverton United 2nd
Ipplepen Athletic	Galmpton United	Ilsington Villa	Paignton Saints 3rd*
Ivybridge Town 2nd	Harbertonford	Ipplepen Athletic 2nd	Newton Abbot ’66 2nd
Meadowbrook Athletic	Paignton Saints 2nd	Newton Abbot Spurs 3rd	Newton Rovers 2nd
Newton Abbot ’66	Paignton Villa 2nd	Newton Rovers	South Brent
Plympton Athletic 2nd	Stoke Gabriel 2nd	Torbay Police 2nd	Teign Village
Salcombe Town	Upton Athletic	Torquay Town	Torquay Town 2nd
Torbay Police	Waldon Athletic 2nd	Watcombe Wanderers 2nd	Totnes & Dartington 2nd
Watts Blake Bearne			Watts Blake Bearne 2nd
The Windmill FC