New sponsor for the Western League

The Western Football League have moved quickly to secure a main sponsor for the upcoming campaign in the form of national builders’ merchant Jewsons, writes Kerry Miller.

With a history of partnerships with local football going back to the old South Western League, the company have stepped into the shoes of Toolstation, whose long established and happy marriage to the Western League ended amicably during the summer.

In an early morning launch, which was timed to coincide with the opening of the brand new Jewson Bridgwater branch on May 28.

League chairman John Pool cut the ribbon before addressing the assembled crowd, which included other members of the league committee, colleagues of Jewsons and Bridgwater United secretary John Fournier, along with club mascot Thunder the Robin.

Formed in 1892, the league has 42 member clubs covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Andy Jordan, regional managing director for Jewson South West, said: “The Western Football League is steeped in history, and we know many of our customers support the teams within it – whether as casual fans or committed followers. When the opportunity arose to become part of that community, we jumped at the chance.

“Many of our Jewson colleagues also have affiliations to football clubs in this part of the country, making it even more important to us. We’re excited to become part of the Western Football League’s story and look forward to enjoying lots of exhilarating matches together in the future.”

John Pool added: “Jewson have a huge community ethos, which is something that sits alongside our own values as a league. Working together for the betterment of the communities our clubs represent is especially important to us as we move into a new era of possibilities.

“We are excited to work closely with Jewson over the coming years, with the view of obtaining a long-term arrangement and to have them as our brand sponsor well into the future.”

Looking forward to the new season beginning at the end of July, the Jewsons Western League have welcomed St Austell and Ivybridge Town, promoted to the Premier Division from the SW Peninsula League, alongside Brislington and Portishead Town.