The league was formed in 1996, at which point it sat below the now-defunct South West Combination in the league structure. Since then women's football in England has undergone a major restructuring. In 2011 the FA Women's Super League (WSL) was introduced at the top of the game, then a second division was added to the WSL in 2014. At this time the FA Women's Premier League National Division (formerly the second level of women's football) was scrapped, along with the four Combination leagues that sat below the Premier League. The Premier League Northern and Southern divisions remained at level 3 of the league structure, with four new regional divisions of the Premier League below them at level 4.[1]
The teams competing in the Devon Women's Football League this season are listed below.
Premier Division
Eight teams are entered into the Premier Division for the 2016–17 season. All of these teams played in the same division last season unless otherwise indicated.[12]
Bideford Town
Buckland Athletic Reserves (promoted from Division One)[5]