The club said they are ‘devastated’ over the decision
Portishead Town FC’s home ground at Bristol Road in Portishead(Image: Portishead Town FC)
Bosses at a high-flying non-league football team near Bristol have said they are ‘devastated’ after the Football Association relegated them, just as they were preparing to go into a promotion play-off.
Portishead Town finished second in the Southern League Division 1 South this season, and were about to start a post-season play-off campaign that had them as favourites to be promoted to the Southern League Premier South, in what is known as Step 3 of the football pyramid.
But instead, the FA have not only taken Portishead Town out of the play-offs and replaced them with the team that finished sixth, but relegated them to play in Step 5 next season, in a row over Portishead’s Bristol Road ground.
The FA said that Portishead Town’s ground isn’t good enough for the team to play at Step 3 or Step 4 – where they have been playing all this season – so the club would have to go back down to the Western League and Step 5 until they made the improvements.
The club appealed but after a hearing today, Monday, April 27, that appeal was dismissed and Portishead Town learned their fate.
The decision has not only thrown the promotion play-offs into chaos – with fans of clubs in the play-off places advised over the weekend not to plan their trips to the games because of the uncertainty – but will also give a reprieve to the club that had thought they would be getting relegated in Willand Rovers, as Portishead Town will now be taking their place.
In a strongly-worded statement, club bosses accused the FA of misleading them by reassuring them everything they had been doing to improve their ground would be sufficient, and not telling them that they would be relegated because it wasn’t.
Portishead Town accused the FA of going back on their word and revoking an extension they had given to a deadline of July this year to make the improvements.
The club said they had intended to install new stands for spectators by the end of March, but because of matters beyond their control they were now going to be installed in the summer and be ready in time for the new season.
Portishead Town FC men’s first team squad for the 2025-26 season(Image: Portishead Town FC)
The club said it asked the FA for a short extension to the deadline, and were stunned that this had been refused, and an appeal against the decision had been dismissed.
“Portishead Town FC is devastated to announce that, despite a remarkable performance on the pitch this season, the club will be relegated to Step 5,” a spokesperson said.
“In recent years, this club has expanded, flourished, and thrived at an incredible pace. As we have grown, we have relied on the football authorities to guide us through the complexities of moving up the pyramid. It is a bitter irony that we are now, effectively, a victim of our own success-penalised by a system that we trusted to support our rapid progress,” they added.
Portishead Town had been expecting to battle for their third promotion in a row, after winning the Western League Division One in 2024 and then winning the Western League Premier Division in 2025.
When they stepped up to the Southern League, the FA said they needed to install new stands and make improvements to their ground to be at the standards expected of the Southern League, and the club said it had been given until this summer to make those improvements.
“This relegation follows a decision by the FA to revoke a previously granted extension until 31st July 2026. This revocation stems from ground grading concerns relating to stands not being installed by the end of March 2026,” the club added.
Club bosses said they were on track to get the improvements done this summer, but the FA appeal went against them.
“We wish to make it clear that stands were ordered, constructed and awaiting installation but due to outstanding unresolved health and safety matters beyond our control it would not have been safe to continue. We therefore asked for a small extension of time which would have seen all work completed by July 2026. This extension was refused
“Throughout this process, the club followed every instruction provided by FA advisors, who encouraged us to ‘get the small things done’ and ‘apply for an extension’. We were never advised that our progress was insufficient,” the statement said, adding that of the other ten clubs whose grounds didn’t meet the standards required, eight were given extensions and the other two were relegated anyway so it didn’t matter.
“Despite being told at the start of our appeal that this would be a ‘footballing decision’, it clearly is not,” the spokesperson for Portishead Town added.
“Our appeal has since been rejected, a decision that feels like a betrayal of the spirit of the game. Regardless of local rivalries, football as a whole has lost today.
“PTFC already has plans in place-actioned and funded by our club and the local community-to complete all necessary works on our own accord by July 2026. We remain committed to achieving Step 3 grading by that date, regardless of this setback.
“To our players, management, volunteers, and supporters: we are deeply sorry. You give everything to this club and this community, and you deserved better. We are incredibly grateful for your unwavering loyalty. We will fight on. We will meet the standards required. And we will be back,” they added.
The Southern League issued a statement which did not even mention what had happened to Portishead Town. It merely confirmed that Bishops Cleeve, who finished in sixth place in the final league table, one place outside the play-off places, would now be facing Malvern Town in the play-offs. “The appeal concerning a regulatory matter has been concluded,” the Southern League statement said.
Bristol Live contacted the FA and a response is awaited.