SJFA West Region Premiership

The SJFA West Region Premiership (also known as the McBookie.com West Region Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was a semi-professional football league run by the West Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and was the highest tier of league competition for its member clubs.

SJFA West Region Premiership
Founded2002 (2002)
Folded2020
Country Scotland
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid1
Promotion tono promotion
Relegation toWest Region Championship
Domestic cup(s)Scottish Junior Cup
Last championsAuchinleck Talbot (7th title)
(2019–20)
Most championshipsAuchinleck Talbot (7 titles)
WebsiteScottish Junior FA

Formerly known as the West of Scotland Super League Premier Division, the league was created in 2002 with the amalgamation of the top leagues of the Central and Ayrshire regions.

It was abolished in 2020 when all SJFA West Region clubs moved to join the newly-formed senior West of Scotland Football League.

The final champions and most successful club were Auchinleck Talbot, who won seven league titles. A total of 32 clubs competed in the league.

History

Initially two clubs were automatically relegated to the Super League First Division at the end of each season, and replaced by the clubs placed first and second in that division. A relegation play-off was added in 2006–07 which saw the club finishing third bottom contest a two-legged play-off against the team which finished third in the Super League First Division.

From the 2007–08 season, the winners of the league were eligible to enter the senior Scottish Cup at its earliest stage, with Pollok being the first champions to take part in the Scottish Cup.[1]

In 2017 West Region clubs voted to organise all leagues on a regionwide basis and as a result, the Super League Premier Division was rebranded as the West Region Premiership for the 2018–19 season. The league was also expanded to sixteen clubs, and with clubs were relegated to a rebranded Championship also consisting of sixteen teams.[2]

The final season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Champions and season summaries

Note: Champions in bold completed the 'Double' by also winning the Junior Cup.

Year Winner Runners-up Relegated Promoted West Region League
play-off (aggregate)		 Champions' Progression
in Scottish Cup
2002–03 Pollok Neilston Juniors Benburb
Irvine Meadow XI		 Arthurlie
Troon		 N/A N/A
2003–04 Kilwinning Rangers Arthurlie Kilbirnie Ladeside
Neilston Juniors		 Bellshill Athletic
Renfrew		 N/A N/A
2004–05 Pollok (2) Arthurlie Kilwinning Rangers
Troon		 Kilsyth Rangers
Shotts Bon Accord		 N/A N/A
2005–06 Auchinleck Talbot Renfrew Johnstone Burgh
Larkhall Thistle		 Neilston Juniors
Petershill		 N/A N/A
2006–07 Pollok (3) Auchinleck Talbot Maryhill
Renfrew		 Beith Juniors
Irvine Meadow XI		 Glenafton Athletic 2
Kilwinning Rangers 0		 2nd Round 2007–08[1]
2007–08 Pollok (4) Irvine Meadow XI Kilsyth Rangers
Shotts Bon Accord		 Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
Vale of Clyde		 Cumnock Juniors 5
Kilwinning Rangers 2		 1st Round 2008–09[3]
2008–09 Irvine Meadow XI Pollok Neilston Juniors
Cumnock Juniors
Glenafton Athletic		 Largs Thistle
Kilbirnie Ladeside
Lanark United		 Lanark United 3
Glenafton Athletic 2		 4th Round 2009–10[4]
2009–10 Beith Juniors Arthurlie Vale of Clyde
Bellshill Athletic		 Rutherglen Glencairn
Cumnock Juniors		 Lanark United 3
Clydebank 2		 3rd Round 2010–11[5]
2010–11 Irvine Meadow (2) Arthurlie Rutherglen Glencairn
Lanark United		 Ashfield
Clydebank		 Petershill 1
Glenafton Athletic 0		 3rd Round 2011–12[6]
2011–12 Irvine Meadow (3) Petershill Kilbirnie Ladeside
Largs Thistle		 Glenafton Athletic
Shotts Bon Accord		 Pollok 5
Renfrew 1		 2nd Round 2012–13[7]
2012–13 Auchinleck Talbot (2) Petershill Shotts Bon Accord
Beith Juniors
Ashfield		 Hurlford United
Kilbirnie Ladeside
Largs Thistle		 Largs Thistle 7
Ashfield 7
4–3 pens.[8]		 3rd Round 2013–14[9]
2013–14 Auchinleck Talbot (3) Irvine Meadow Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
Pollok
Largs Thistle		 Troon
Beith Juniors
Shotts Bon Accord		 Shotts Bon Accord 5
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy 2[10]		 2nd Round 2014–15[11]
2014–15 Auchinleck Talbot (4) Hurlford United Shotts Bon Accord
Cumnock Juniors
Clydebank		 Pollok
Shettleston
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy		 Kirkintilloch Rob Roy 4
Shotts Bon Accord 1[12]		 2nd Round 2015–16[13]
2015–16 Auchinleck Talbot (5) Hurlford United Irvine Meadow
Petershill
Shettleston		 Cumnock Juniors
Largs Thistle
Kilwinning Rangers		 Kilwinning Rangers 5
Shettleston 3[14]		 Preliminary round 2 2016–17[15]
2016–17 Glenafton Athletic Kirkintilloch Rob Roy Largs Thistle
Troon		 Girvan
Clydebank		 Kilwinning Rangers 3
Kilsyth Rangers 2[16]		 3rd Round 2017–18
2017–18 Beith Juniors (2) Auchinleck Talbot Girvan
Arthurlie		 Petershill
Cambuslang
Largs
Renfrew
Irvine Meadow
Troon		 Irvine Meadow 4
Arthurlie 1
Troon 4
Girvan 2		 3rd Round 2018–19
2018–19 Auchinleck Talbot (6) Hurlford United Renfrew
Petershill
Cambuslang		 Rutherglen Glencairn
Benburb
Rossvale		 3rd Round 2019–20
2019–20[lower-alpha 1] Auchinleck Talbot (7) Kilwinning Rangers No promotion or relegation: all clubs moved to the senior West of Scotland Football League.[19][20] Withdrew
  1. Season suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Champions calculated using 'points per game' algorithm, announced on 21 April.[17][18]

References
  1. "Pollok 0-1 Montrose". BBC Sport. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  2. Goldthorp, Craig (13 July 2017). "Junior football overhaul sees merger of Scotland's West and Ayrshire clubs". www.carlukegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  3. "Spartans leave it late in City Park's last Scottish Cup tie". The Scotsman. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  4. "Hibernian 3 - 0 Irvine Meadow". BBC Sport. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. "Beith 3-4 Airdrie United". BBC Sport. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  6. Robertson, Alan (20 November 2011). "Irvine Meadow 0 Livingston 6". Daily Record. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  7. "Third Division Montrose and Peterhead exit Scottish Cup". BBC Sport. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  8. "Shoot-out drama as Largs win". Evening Times. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  9. "Auchinleck Talbot 2 – 3 Stranraer". BBC Sport. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  10. Thomson, Nick (11 June 2014). "Things are looking up". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  11. "Edinburgh City 2-1 Auchinleck Talbot". BBC Sport. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  12. Hepburn, David (5 June 2015). "Promotion joy for Kirkintilloch Rob Roy". www.kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  13. "Scottish Cup: East Stirlingshire and Clyde eliminated". BBC Sport. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  14. McGowan, Eric (11 June 2016). "Buffs shoot down Shettleston to win promotion back to the top flight". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  15. O'Donnell, Jim (13 September 2016). "Don't write off Auchinleck Talbot after William Hill Scottish Cup defeat, says victorious Beith skipper John Sheridan". Evening Times. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  16. McGowan, Eric (3 June 2017). "Kilwinning Rangers retain top flight status after play-off drama at Abbey Park". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  17. Auchinleck Talbot awarded Scottish junior title despite being 12 points off top, BBC Sport, 21 April 2020
  18. Junior football chiefs explain reasoning behind controversial league winners decision, Daily Record, 21 April 2020
  19. Pyramid Update – 67 Applications Approved, Scottish Lowland Football League, 14 April 2020
  20. Junior clubs in the west are about to get the best of both worlds, The Scotsman, 19 April 2020
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