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London League (football)

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The London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964.

Contents

In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. (now known as West Ham United). One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was Francis Payne, club secretary of Thames Ironworks F.C. in 1897. The league started with three divisions, the 3rd Grenadier Guards winning the inaugural championship.

The league fluctuated between having a single division and reaching four divisions. Before World War I, most of the senior London Football League clubs fielded a reserve side in the London League.

In 1964, the London League ceased to exist, merging with the Aetolian League to form the Greater London League, which then further merged in 1971 with the Metropolitan League to form the Metropolitan–London League. This later merged into the Spartan League, which in turn merged into the modern Spartan South Midlands League.

London League Division One

  • 1896–1897 – 3rd Grenadier Guards
  • 1897–1898 – Thames Ironworks
  • 1898-1899 - Tottenham Hotspur Reserves
  • 1899-1900 - Millwall Athletic Reserves
  • 1900-1901 - Millwall Athletic Reserves
  • 1901-1902 - West Ham United
  • 1902-1903 - Tottenham Hotspur
  • 1903-1904 - Woolwich Arsenal Reserves
  • 1904-1905 - Southall
  • 1908–1909 – Brentford Reserves

    • London League Division Two

  • 1896–1897 – Bromley
  • 1897–1898 – Barnet
  • 1898-1899 - Monsteds Athletic
  • 1899-1900 - Fulham
  • 1900-1901 - Airdrieonians
  • 1901-1902 - East Greenwich Gas Work
  • 1902–1903 – Brentford Reserves
  • 1903-1904 - Catford Southend
  • 1904-1905 - Clapton Orient Reserves

    • London League Premier Division

  • 1901–1902 – West Ham United
  • 1902–1903 – Tottenham Hotspur
  • 1903–1904 – Millwall
  • 1908–1909 – West Ham United

    • London League Division One A

  • 1909–1910 – Barking

    • In 1920, a third division, known as Division Two was added

    In 1924, Division Two was disbanded

    In 1939, the league was suspended due to the outbreak of World War II. On the resumption of football after the War, nineteen clubs played in the London League, split into Western and Eastern Divisions. Eastern Division champions Woolwich Polytechnic beat Eastern Champions Edgware Town 2–1 in a play-off

    In 1946, the divisions were re-organised, and a new structure of a Premier Division and a Division One was formed

    Within 12 months, enough clubs had joined to form a new Division Two

    In 1953, Division Two was disbanded

    In 1956, Division One was disbanded, leaving only a single Senior section

    In 1963, an increase in the number of clubs led to a reversion to two divisions.

    Division One 1896–1897

    1. 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.
    2. Thames Ironworks F.C.
    3. Barking Woodville F.C.
    4. Ilford F.C.
    5. Crouch End F.C.
    6. Vampires F.C.
    7. London Welsh F.C.
  • 1st Scots Guards F.C. withdrew during the season and the matches were expunged from the records. London Welsh F.C. were suspended close to the end of season, and as a result Thames Ironworks F.C. were awarded two wins for games unplayed against them.

    • Division One 1897–1898

    1. Thames Ironworks F.C.
    2. Brentford F.C.
    3. Leyton F.C.
    4. 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.
    5. Ilford F.C.
    6. Stanley F.C.
    7. Barking Woodville F.C.
    8. Bromley F.C.
    9. 2nd Grenadier Guards F.C.

    References

    London League (football) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA