Lancashire League (football)
Encyclopedia
The Lancashire League has been the name of two separate football competitions for clubs based in northern England
.
, who had ambitions to set up a regional competition which would be a stepping stone for them and other clubs to gain a place in the Football League.
Although the majority of the clubs were based in the county of Lancashire
, the league did eventually accept several clubs from neighbouring Cheshire
. Additionally from further afield, Workington, from Cumberland
, were members for two seasons, while Doncaster Rovers
, from Yorkshire
, were also to make an application to join.
The league survived for fourteen seasons until 1903, and in 1903-04 it became the Second Division of the Lancashire Combination
. At the time the Lancashire League was probably the stronger of the two competitions, and within a few years many of the former Lancashire League clubs had become leading Lancashire Combination clubs.
The Lancashire League had many member clubs who would later take up places in the Football League. These included Accrington Stanley
, Blackpool, Bury
, Crewe Alexandra
,
Liverpool
, Nelson
, New Brighton Tower
, Southport Central
, and Stockport County
.
In 1949 the league was re-established, and for almost fifty years it was a competition largely for the junior sides of the Lancashire-based Football League clubs. For most seasons, two divisions were operated; however, for a short period from the late 1950s there were three divisions. Some non-league
clubs' reserve sides were later accepted into membership, and with the Football League taking a greater responsibility for youth football in recent seasons, the Lancashire League is now a competition exclusively for non-league clubs' reserve sides. From 2006-07 the league was sponsored by Lancit Haulage Limited, and from 2010-11 the league has been sponsored by GalaxyFootball.co.uk.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Lancashire League (1889 to 1903)
The original Lancashire League was formed in 1889, and was established because of the success of the Football League, which had been established just one year earlier. Prime movers in the formation of the league were the officials of Bury Football ClubBury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, who had ambitions to set up a regional competition which would be a stepping stone for them and other clubs to gain a place in the Football League.
Although the majority of the clubs were based in the county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the league did eventually accept several clubs from neighbouring Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. Additionally from further afield, Workington, from Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, were members for two seasons, while Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
, from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, were also to make an application to join.
The league survived for fourteen seasons until 1903, and in 1903-04 it became the Second Division of the Lancashire Combination
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League...
. At the time the Lancashire League was probably the stronger of the two competitions, and within a few years many of the former Lancashire League clubs had become leading Lancashire Combination clubs.
The Lancashire League had many member clubs who would later take up places in the Football League. These included Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
, Blackpool, Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Nelson
Nelson F.C.
Nelson F.C. are an English football club, based in Nelson, Lancashire. They are currently members of the North West Counties Football League Division One, who played their home matches at Victoria Park, Lomeshaye Way. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.-Early years:...
, New Brighton Tower
New Brighton Tower F.C.
New Brighton Tower F.C. was a short-lived English football club based in New Brighton, Merseyside. Established in 1896, the club spent three seasons in the Football League before folding in 1901. They played at the 80,000-capacity Tower Athletic Grounds....
, Southport Central
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
, and Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
.
Lancashire League Champions (1889 to 1903)
| Season | |
|---|---|
| 1889-90 | Higher Walton |
| 1890-91 | Bury Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the... |
| 1891-92 | Bury Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the... |
| 1892-93 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
| 1893-94 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
| 1894-95 | Fairfield Fairfield Athletic F.C. Fairfield Athletic or Fairfield Football Club was an Association football team from Fairfield, now a suburb of Droylsden, Greater Manchester.... |
| 1895-96 | Nelson Nelson F.C. Nelson F.C. are an English football club, based in Nelson, Lancashire. They are currently members of the North West Counties Football League Division One, who played their home matches at Victoria Park, Lomeshaye Way. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.-Early years:... |
| 1896-97 | Chorley Chorley F.C. Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they... |
| 1897-98 | New Brighton Tower New Brighton Tower F.C. New Brighton Tower F.C. was a short-lived English football club based in New Brighton, Merseyside. Established in 1896, the club spent three seasons in the Football League before folding in 1901. They played at the 80,000-capacity Tower Athletic Grounds.... |
| 1898-99 | Chorley Chorley F.C. Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they... |
| 1899-00 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
| 1900-01 | Stalybridge Rovers Stalybridge Rovers F.C. Stalybridge Rovers Football Club was an English football club from Stalybridge, Cheshire at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century.-History:... |
| 1901-02 | Darwen Darwen F.C. A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:... |
| 1902-03 | Southport Central Southport F.C. Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008... |
Lancashire League (1939 to date)
The second Lancashire League was formed in 1939, and for the 1939-40 season it was a competition mainly for the 'A' teams of Lancashire Football League clubs. However with the onset of World War II, the new league was to last only one season before being abandoned.In 1949 the league was re-established, and for almost fifty years it was a competition largely for the junior sides of the Lancashire-based Football League clubs. For most seasons, two divisions were operated; however, for a short period from the late 1950s there were three divisions. Some non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
clubs' reserve sides were later accepted into membership, and with the Football League taking a greater responsibility for youth football in recent seasons, the Lancashire League is now a competition exclusively for non-league clubs' reserve sides. From 2006-07 the league was sponsored by Lancit Haulage Limited, and from 2010-11 the league has been sponsored by GalaxyFootball.co.uk.
Lancashire League Champions (1939 to date)
| Season | Division One | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-40 | Preston North End 'A' | ||
| 1949-50 | Blackpool 'A' | ||
| 1950-51 | Preston North End 'A' | ||
| 1951-52 | Stockport County Reserves | ||
| 1952-53 | Burnley 'A' | ||
| 1953-54 | Rochdale Reserves | ||
| 1954-55 | Manchester United 'A' | ||
| Season | Division One | Division Two | |
| 1955-56 | Oldham Athletic Reserves | Burnley 'B' | |
| 1956-57 | Burnley 'A' | Bolton Wanderers 'B' | |
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
| 1957-58 | Rochdale Reserves | Everton 'B' | Blackburn Rovers 'C' |
| 1958-59 | Preston North End 'A' | Everton 'B' | Bury 'B' |
| 1959-60 | Bolton Wanderers 'A' | Everton 'B' | Manchester City 'C' |
| 1960-61 | Burnley 'A' | Bolton Wanderers 'B' | Liverpool 'C' |
| Season | Division One | Division Two | |
| 1961-62 | Burnley 'A' | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1962-63 | Everton 'A' | Everton 'B' | |
| 1963-64 | Everton 'A' | Everton 'B' | |
| 1964-65 | Everton 'A' | Manchester United 'B' | |
| 1965-66 | Liverpool 'A' | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1966-67 | Everton 'A' | Manchester City 'B' | |
| 1967-68 | Liverpool 'A' | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1968-69 | Liverpool 'A' | Manchester City 'B' | |
| 1969-70 | Everton 'A' | Manchester United 'B' | |
| 1970-71 | Everton 'A' | Blackburn Rovers 'A' | |
| 1971-72 | Liverpool 'A' | Manchester United 'B' | |
| 1972-73 | Stockport County 'A' | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1973-74 | Wigan Athletic Reserves | Everton 'B' | |
| 1974-75 | Everton 'A' | Everton 'B' | |
| 1975-76 | Oldham Athletic Reserves | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1976-77 | Oldham Athletic Reserves | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1977-78 | Liverpool 'A' | Burnley 'A' | |
| 1978-79 | Port Vale Reserves | Burnley 'A' | |
| 1979-80 | Tranmere Rovers Reserves | Everton 'B' | |
| 1980-81 | Oldham Athletic Reserves | Burnley 'A' | |
| 1981-82 | Wigan Athletic Reserves | Blackburn Rovers 'A' | |
| 1982-83 | Liverpool 'A' | Oldham Athletic 'A' | |
| 1983-84 | Manchester United 'A' | Morecambe Reserves | |
| 1984-85 | Manchester United 'A' | Blackburn Rovers 'A' | |
| 1985-86 | Manchester City 'A' | Oldham Athletic 'A' | |
| 1986-87 | Manchester United 'A' | Preston North End 'A' | |
| 1987-88 | Manchester United 'A' | Oldham Athletic 'A' | |
| 1988-89 | Everton 'A' | Manchester United 'B' | |
| 1989-90 | Manchester United 'A' | Blackpool 'A' | |
| 1990-91 | Manchester United 'A' | Crewe Alexandra 'B' | |
| 1991-92 | Crewe Alexandra 'A' | Crewe Alexandra 'B' | |
| 1992-93 | Manchester United 'A' | Liverpool 'B' | |
| 1993-94 | Burnley 'A' | Preston North End 'A' | |
| 1994-95 | Manchester United 'A' | Manchester City 'B' | |
| 1995-96 | Manchester United 'A' | Blackburn Rovers 'B' | |
| 1996-97 | Manchester United 'A' | Manchester United 'B' | |
| 1997-98 | Manchester United 'A' | Blackburn Rovers 'B' | |
| Season | Division One | ||
| 1998-99 | Tranmere Rovers 'A' | ||
| 1999-00 | Southport Reserves | ||
| 2000-01 | Morecambe Reserves | ||
| 2001-02 | Morecambe Reserves | ||
| 2002-03 | Morecambe Reserves | ||
| 2003-04 | Morecambe Reserves | ||
| 2004-05 | Morecambe Reserves | ||
| 2005-06 | Morecambe Reserves | ||
| Season | East Division | West Division | |
| 2006-07 | Farsley Celtic Reserves | Morecambe Reserves | |
| 2007-08 | Farsley Celtic Reserves | Workington Reserves | |
| 2008-09 | Bradford(PA) Reserves | Fleetwood Town Reserves | |
| 2009-10 | Harrogate Town Reserves | Southport Reserves |