Last updated : Sunday, 30 June 2024
Bristol Downs Association Football League
The Bristol Downs Association Football League is an English football league based in the city of Bristol. It is a completely standalone league system which does not feed into the English football league pyramid.
The league was founded in 1905 and currently has 39 teams competing in four divisions. All matches are played on the same site, namely the large open space known as Bristol Downs.
History
Organised football first began to be played in Bristol in the 1880s and football started on the Downs around the same time, helped by the introduction of a tram route from the city centre to the top of Blackboy Hill.
The Downs League was formed in 1905 with 30 founder members, all of them teams who were already playing in the city and on the Downs' many pitches. One of the founder member clubs, Sneyd Park, remains in the league to this day, having played in the top division of the league in every season since its foundation.
Structure
The league is divided into four divisions: Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and Division 4. Each division consists of 10 teams.
The top two teams in each division at the end of the season are promoted to the next higher division, while the bottom two teams in each division are relegated to the next lower division.
Cup competitions
The league also has two cup competitions: the Norman Hardy Cup and the All Saints Cup.
The Norman Hardy Cup is contested by the teams in Divisions 1 and 2, while the All Saints Cup is contested by the teams in Divisions 3 and 4.
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