A club carrying the name Cheltenham Tigers will be playing in the Cheltenham Football League next season.

The newly formed team will compete in Division Two alongside a number of other teams who will be new to the Cheltenham League in 2023/24 – Tredworth Tigers 3rds, Abbeymead Rovers 3rds and Tewkesbury Town Development.

The name Cheltenham Tigers is much more readily associated with rugby, of course, with the club, who are more than 130 years old, fielding men’s and ladies’ senior teams who play at a good level, as well as boasting a thriving junior set-up.

The football team will play their home games at the Newlands, the home of the rugby club, and Cheltenham’s rugby chairman Steve Ratcliffe said: “It’s very exciting. It’s a new initiative, they will be part of the rugby club but they will be self-funded.”

This is the first time that a football team have used the Cheltenham Tigers name and Ratcliffe added: “Hopefully there will be a second team for the following season and also some kids’ development.

“At the moment we’ve got one football pitch and potentially we’ve got two.”

Cheltenham League fixtures secretary John Hunt said that some of the players making up the new team used to play for Leckhampton Rovers Reserves while Ratcliffe said that they’d already started pre-season training.

“They’ve got some pre-season friendlies in July,” he added.

Cheltenham Tigers are one of 14 teams who are set to play in Division Two, the league’s basement division.

It was confirmed at the league’s AGM on Wednesday evening that there will be three divisions instead of four in 2023/24 with the Premier Division made up of 13 teams and Division One made up of 14.

“Even though we’ve cut the number of divisions we’re pleased with the number of teams,” said Hunt.

Smiths Barometrics have entered a reserves team in the Premier Division, while Tredworth Tigers will have  2^nd and 3^rd teams competing in Division One and Two respectively. Last season’s Cheltenham League winners Whaddon United have moved up to the Northern Senior League.

And the 41 teams who make up the Cheltenham League next season will certainly have plenty of football because in addition to the three divisions there will also be four cups up for grabs.

Every club will be entered in the Senior Charities Cup while there will be a Junior Charities Cup for Premier Division teams, a Minor Counties Cup for teams in Division One and a Primary Charities Cup for teams in Division Two.

Hunt said that because of the increased number of fixtures he hoped that the season would get under way in August.

The plan is to have some fixtures on Tuesday 22^nd August and Thursday 24^th August ahead of the bank holiday weekend,” he said. “I’m also hoping to get some games played on the bank holiday weekend.

“Ideally, we’ll have fixtures on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the last two weeks of August and the first week of September.”

He added that he hoped that the fixtures would be available in the second week of August.

Hunt, meanwhile, is one of three Cheltenham League officers who have been made life members after 21 years of continuous service.

Vice-chairman Terry Onions and registration secretary Phil Tustain have also reached that milestone.

Cheltenham League 2023/24 – Premier Division:
FC Lakeside Res, Bishop’s Cleeve A, Shurdington Rovers, Tewkesbury Ath, Winchcombe T, Prestbury Rovers, Southside Star, AFC Cheltenham, AFC Kempsey, FC Wickhamford, Smiths Barometrics Res, Generation Next, Fintan.

Division One:
Cheltenham Utd, Leckhampton Rovers, Falcons Res, Pittville Utd, Montpellier (Cheltenham), Hanley Swan, Kings, Whaddon Utd Res, St John’s Colts Adults Res, Tewkesbury Town Res, Bishop’s Cleeve B, Winchcombe T Res, Tredworth Tigers 2nds, Cheltenham CS 3rds.

Division Two:
Bredon Res, Welland Res, Charlton Rovers Res, Montpellier (Cheltenham) Res, Shurdington Rovers Res, Gloucester Ath, Cleevonians, Pittville Utd Res, Fintan Res, Tredworth Tigers 3rds, Abbeymead Rovers 3rds, Cheltenham Tigers, Tewkesbury Town Development, Worcester Utd Development.