The merger was put forward to help clubs with the challenges of travel costs, which is uniquely difficult for some teams in the Western League. “The original idea was to progress the merger to help clubs reduce travel costs, that was the prime motivation. “The normal promotion places will still be available to clubs in the Peninsula League, so it is just the extra spaces that are no longer eligible. “The Western League were keen on the initial timescale and the FA did say, at the start, it was very ambitious. If you go back to when the Devon League and South-Western League merged, we did all the rules and structure over a two-year consultation period.

Source: Express March 03, 2023 08:00 UTC