Country England First season 1949–50 | Founded 1949 Folded 1971 | |
Divisions One (1949–1963, 1964–1971)
Two (1963–1964) Number of teams Lowest: 9 (1949–50)
Highest: 22 (1964–65) | ||
The Metropolitan League was a football league in the south-east of England.
Contents
History
The league was founded in 1949 after several clubs learnt plans for a second division of the Southern League would come to nothing shortly before the start of the season. Originally named the Metropolitan & District League, it was renamed the Metropolitan League in 1959. The league was largely composed of professional clubs or their reserve or youth teams, and was frequently described as an unofficial lower division of the Southern League. The league added a second division in 1963, but it ran for only a single season.
However, with the league reduced to only 12 clubs in 1970–71 and several of those about to leave to join the Southern League at the end of the season, the league merged with the Greater London League to form the Metropolitan–London League. This league ceased to exist in 1975 when it merged with the Spartan League to form the London Spartan League, which readopted the name Spartan League in 1987.
Member clubs
During its existence, 67 clubs (including reserve teams) played in the league: