The new Stroud Football League season kicks off a week on Saturday with 40-plus games, a new structure, end-of-season play-offs  and four new teams.

There will be six divisions instead of eight in 2022/23, with league secretary Jeff Willerton saying that is the template for the next decade.

The top two divisions will be made up of 13 teams, divisions three and six have 15 teams, while divisions four and five are made up of 17 teams.

One of the new teams, Tredworth Tigers reserves, have been placed in Division Four while the other three – Taverners reserves, Leonard Stanley 3rds and Gloucester-based Mavericks – will feature in Division Six.

The end-of-season play-offs will come into play in the bottom four divisions, with the top two automatically promoted and the play-offs for the final promotion spot being between the teams placed from third to sixth.

“We’re trying to make the league more interesting,” Willerton said. “We want to give teams something to play for right up until the end of the season.

“We have to adapt and try different things.”

And the Stroud League are certainly doing that because they are introducing further changes to the bottom four divisions this season.

Once the league has reached the two-thirds mark – when every team will have played each other once – the divisions will be split, with the top teams playing each other again and the bottom teams all playing each other again.

“It’s like the system they use in Scottish football,” explained Willerton. “It means the stronger teams will all play each other at least twice over the season, the football should be more competitive.”

Willerton explained that in the 17-strong divisions, the teams will be split into two groups of six and one of five at the two-thirds mark while in the two divisions of 15 they will be split into half.

“It should mean about 22 games for every team,” added Willerton, who is also the league’s fixtures secretary.

Willerton has prepared for the possibility of teams dropping out during the season.

“I’ve got all the scenarios worked out,” he said. “It’s an analytical puzzle but it’s something I enjoy doing.”

Nevertheless, Willerton will be pleased that the format for divisions one and two remains unchanged this season, with two teams relegated from the top flight automatically while two will go up automatically from Division Two and three will be relegated.

And there’s certainly no shortage of football because the Stroud League will also be running six cup competitions and clubs will also be entering the various county cup competitions.

It should be a good season!