Kingsteignton Athletic (hoops) will start their DFL journey on Wednesday 14th at Totnes & Dartington F.C. (c)MiraclePR.com

Official parties from the Devon Football League will be in attendance at Totnes and Dartington’s Foxhole Sports Ground and Budleigh Salterton’s Greenway Lane next week as the long-anticipated DFL season kicks-off.

The South & West Division will be the first division to see action as Totnes & Dartington host Kingsteignton Athletic on Wednesday 14th August (6.30pm kick-off).

Then, on Friday 16th August (7.30pm kick-off), Budleigh Salterton will welcome Witheridge as the North & East Division gets underway.

The match referees (Alan Bassett and Paul Allen respectively) will bring the teams on to the pitch ten minutes before the scheduled start time after which they will be introduced to the DFL’s official party and take part in the ‘Respect’ handshake.

The DFL’s fledgling twitter feed: @DFLeague2019 had over 150 followers inside the first 24 hours. You will see our latest Tweets on the home page of this website and you should also see a Twitter icon which will enable you to jump straight through to our Twitter page.

The DFL is also building a new website (this one) in partnership with Clubnets and there is also the opportunity for clubs to access the rejuvenated FA Matchday App as a communication tool for managers and players, with potential scope to earn some revenue from the FA.

Tweets by DFLeague2019

Herald Cup holders Buckland Athletic Reserves will face a stern test as they travel to East Devon Senior Cup holders Newtown in the First Round of the McDonalds League Cup. (c)MiraclePR

The first ever meeting of the DFL concluded with the drama of the first ever McDonalds League Cup draw. Fixture Secretary Chris Cole oversaw the traditional drawing of numbered balls from a hat and there were plenty of tasty ties to look forward to.

Among them was a plum tie between the holders of two long-running, prestigious competitions: the East Devon Senior Cup and the Herald Cup. EDSC winners Newtown will entertain South Devon League double winners Buckland Athletic Reserves in a game which neither will want to lose.

There is also an enticing tie at Windmill Hill as Waldon Athletic, who played in the Peninsula Division One East last season host Devon and Exeter Football League champions Exwick Villa.

Elsewhere, the Robins of Budleigh Salterton, another former Peninsula side, will travel down to Chudleigh Athletic who finished as runners-up in the SDFL last season. There is also an interesting east v west clash between former Peninsula sides Bere Alston United and Alphington.

Here is the full draw:

A key component to the successful formation of any league is the recruitment of dedicated financial supporters and it was fantastic to welcome Scott Richards Solicitors from Teignmouth as the main DFL sponsors.

The DFL has also received backing from McDonalds, Thomas Westcott Accountants, SWAZ Teamwear, Carling, Firewatch and Pro-Direct Soccer, with a total prize money, across a number of categories, exceeding £10,000.

The composition of the DFL will see two separate divisions; one from the north and east of the county and the other comprising sides from the south and west. The two leagues of 16 clubs will see a mixture of former Peninsula sides, teams moving up from the County regional divisions and reserve outfits competing against each other.

The Devon Football League kicked-off in a sense on Tuesday night 11th June) with the inaugural league meeting held at Tiverton Town Football Club.

The DFL Committee met with member clubs, confirming the league structure for the 2019-20 season, introducing the new league sponsors, procedures, regulations, media output and the relationship with the South West Peninsula League.

Operating at Step 7 of the Football Association League structures, the DFL will be a tier above the existing regional divisions in the North, South, East and West of the County. The DFL will then potentially feed successful clubs into the Peninsula League.

It was very clear from the enthusiasm and appetite shown by all member clubs at the meeting that there is great excitement for everyone inside Devon football to now be embarking on a brand new competition.

Chaired by Devon FA Chief Executive Paul Morrison, Devon FA Chairman Bernard Leach and DFL Vice-Chairman Dave Baskwill, member clubs were given an introduction to the league rules, largely based on the format deployed by the Peninsula League last season.