Great Yarmouth and District Football League

History

The League was established in 1907 and has competed without a break, with the exception of the two World Wars. The heyday of the League was in the late 60's and early 70's when the League capitalised on the success of the World Cup winning England national side with five divisions and fifty teams. In contrast there are now 2 divisions with 19 teams.

You have to go back to 1907 when the first ever League competition under the auspices of the Great Yarmouth & District Football League kicked-off. Before 1907 Junior Football in Great Yarmouth was catered for by the Aldred League which was formed in 1895. It comprised ten clubs who competed for a trophy given by Mr D.Aldred. First move towards expanding the league began in July 1907, when it was proposed to form a Yarmouth and Gorleston Junior League as a second division to the Aldred League. A month later, however, it was decided to rename the Aldred League, the Yarmouth and District League. It was the grandfather of a former MP for Yarmouth Mr Anthony Fell, who donated a cup for the champions of Division One. The cup donated by Mr Aldred was given to the second division winners.

The teams who took part in the very first season in Division One were: YMCA, IOGT, 2nd BNR, Tramways, Royal Naval Hospital, Teachers, Gorleston, and Yarmouth United. Division Two: Trumpeters, Albion, Empire, South Yarmouth, Pioneers, Southtown, Gorleston St. Andrews, and Post Office.

The first champions of Division One were Gorleston with a 100% record and a goal average of 78–6. The following season they joined the Norfolk & Suffolk League. The Gorleston Reserve side playing as Gorleston St. Andrews won the second division title. The military and local company connections with the League are mirrored in some of the early winners – Royal Naval Hospital, Royal Artillery, Royal Garrison Athletic and the likes of Wenns, Yare Barrell Factory, Jewsons and Grouts. The new League made steady progress until the 1911/12 season, when support waned. Division One had only five teams and Division Two had eight. Efforts in 1912 however to revive interest in the game began to pay dividends and the first division membership rose to eight with nine in the second division. The First World War caused a temporary suspension of the league but it was partially revived in 1917 by the Comrades League.

The league has been dominated during the course of its history by a few clubs, with first Jewsons winning three consecutive titles in the 1920s, followed by Caledonians with six titles in the 1930s. Freethorpe won the first title after the Second World War and after Caister's one and only title in 1947/48, Freethorpe won the next five championships. Gorleston United then equalled Freethorpe five successive titles in the 1950s and won their ninth and final to date in 1963/64 having won their first title in 1927/28. Reedham were the team of the 1970s with again five successive titles, but the dominant team from 1983/84 to date has been Cobholm. They had only won two successive titles but on three occasions including season 1999/2000 record breaking tenth title achieved with a 100% record emulating Gorleston's first ever title in 1907/08. However, Cobholm made it four in a row and twelve in total when they again won the title but unfortunately this was their last success as the team has folded in the close season. have the most consecutive title wins with 7 titles in a row and did so without losing a league fixture for seven seasons starting in the 2005/06 season

Member clubs 2016–17

The league's current member clubs are as follows:

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Divisional champions

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