The 1897–98 season was the sixth in the history of the

Western Football League The Western Football League is a association football, football league in South West England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The league's current main sponsor is Jewson, so it ...

. For this season the league was restructured, with a new Professional Section being formed, taking five clubs from Division One and three new clubs joining. Division One and Division Two remained as the Amateur Section, with four clubs being promoted from Division Two to Division One, and several new clubs joining both divisions.

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

were the champions of the new Professional Section, and also competed in the Southern League during this season, along with

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

and

Warmley Warmley is a village in South Gloucestershire, England. Warmley is situated in between Bristol and Bath. It is a parish, with its own church, and has some minor landmarks, such as a World War One memorial the focus of Remembrance Services, and ...

. Division One of the Amateur Section was won by Bedminster, and the Division Two champions were newcomers

Hanham Hanham is in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire, adjacent to, but not within the City of Bristol. It became a civil parish on 1 April 2003. The post code area of Hanham is BS15. The population of this civil parish taken at the 2 ...

. Many clubs left the Amateur Section at the end of the season, necessitating a merger of the two amateur divisions for the following season.Robinson, Michael (ed.), Non-League Football Tables 1889–2006, Soccer Books, 2006

Professional section

The three new clubs admitted to the league to play in this eight-club section were: * Eastleigh Athletic *

* Bristol South End changed their name to Bristol City *

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

changed their name to Bristol St George

Amateur Division One

This ten-club division was a continuation of the old Division One, with six new clubs: * Barton Hill, promoted from the old Division Two * Eastville Wanderers, promoted from the old Division Two *

Fishponds Fishponds is a suburb in the north-east of the English city of Bristol, about from Bristol city centre, the city centre. It is mainly residential, and housing is typically terraced Victorian. It has a small student population from the presence ...

, promoted from the old Division Two *

Mangotsfield Mangotsfield is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority area of South Gloucestershire, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England, to the north-east of Bristol. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 ...

, promoted from the old Division Two *

Midsomer Norton Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Bath and North East Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, Somerset, Bath, north-east of Wells, Somerset, Wells, north-west of Frome, west of Trowbridge and south-east of Bristol. It has ...

, also playing in the Somerset Senior League *

Radstock Radstock is a town and civil parish on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, about south-west of Bath and north-west of Frome. It is within the area of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset. The Radsto ...

, also playing in the Somerset Senior League

Amateur Division Two

This eight-club division was a continuation of the old Division Two, with seven new clubs: * Barton Hill Reserves * Cotham * Eastville Wanderers Reserves *

Reserves *

* Royal Artillery (Horfield) (not to be confused with Royal Artillery Portsmouth F.C.) *

St Paul's St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Reserves

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Football League, 1897-98 1897-98 1897–98 in English association football leagues