Buckland Athletic

The club began life as a junior side in local youth competitions, becoming one of the area’s largest junior setups and collecting a number of honours including the Devon Youth Cup. A move into senior football came in the late 1980s with entry into the Devon & Exeter League, and success arrived immediately with a divisional title. Over the following years, the team progressed through the divisions, moving between several grounds before settling at Homers Lane in Kingsteignton, which was upgraded to meet league standards. In 2003 the opportunity arose to take over South Quarry, which was transformed into Homers Heath and opened in 2005, establishing the club’s long-term home.

Improvements at Homers Heath brought higher ground grading and recognition, with awards for facilities and its matchday programme, The Bucks Review. On the pitch, the team enjoyed league and cup successes in the Devon & Exeter League during the 1990s, before moving into the Devon League in 2000. After seven seasons there, they joined the newly formed South West Peninsula League, where progress continued with consecutive titles and further cup wins. This success paved the way for promotion to the Western League in 2012, where the side achieved a highest-ever finish as runners-up in the Premier Division in the mid-2010s, alongside strong performances in the FA Vase and Les Phillips Cup.

The club suffered a major loss in 2020 with the death of long-serving chairman Roy Holmes, followed shortly by the disruption of the Coronavirus pandemic, which saw two seasons abandoned. This period also brought significant organisational changes, including incorporation as a limited company and the formation of a board of directors. When football resumed, mid-table finishes followed, and in 2022 Dan Hart was appointed as first team head coach. He has since set about building a squad with the ambition of securing further progress up the non-league system.