Wearside Combination Football League
Encyclopedia
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...
competition based in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
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...
.
History
The Combination in its current guise was established in 1945. Prior to the Second World War it had operated as the Sunderland and District Nonconformist and Brotherhood League. As well as the change of name it also came under the control of the Durham County Football Association for the first time.Currently the league has twenty-eight teams in two divisions, although in the past it has operated with as many as sixty-four teams in four divisions.
Many players join the Combination from pub, club and factory teams, and in turn move up to the Wearside League
Wearside Football League
The Wearside Football League is a non-league football competition based in England. It consists of a single division which sits at step 7 of the National League System and is a feeder to the Northern League Division Two. Following the 2007-08 season, Whitehaven moved up to the Northern League, as...
or Northern League. The Wearside Combination has no official place in the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, but can be approximated at level 13 below the Wearside League (11) and the Durham Alliance League(12).
Member clubs 2011–12
The league is sponsored by TWR Commercial Trade Frames for the 2011–12 season.Premier Division
- Hetton New Inn
- Silksworth Golden Fleece
- Sunderland Aquatic Sports
- Sunderland Chesters
- Sunderland Colonel Prior
- Sunderland Farringdon Dolphin
- Sunderland Hall Farm Blakeneys
- Sunderland Hendon
- Sunderland Hendon Grange
- Sunderland Hylton Colliery
- Sunderland Oddfellows Arms
- Sunderland Redhouse
- Sunderland Three Horse Shoes
- Sunderland West End Potters
Division One
- AC Sunderland
- East Durham Spartans
- FC Whitburn
- Seaham Harkers Bar
- Shiney Row Wheatsheaf
- Sunderland Blue Stone Construction
- Sunderland Gleneagles
- Sunderland Hollycarrside
- Sunderland Park View
- Sunderland The Times Inn
- Sunderland Victoria Gardens
- University of Sunderland
- Wearside Athletic
- Wearside Wildcats
Cups
In addition to the league, the teams also compete for a number of cups.- Wearmouth and Hylton Aged Peoples Trophy (formerly Aged Miners Homes Cup)
- This cup was established in 1934 to raise funds for the Aged Miners homes in Sunderland. As the charity was wound up, the competition was renamed in 2001.
- Alan Hood Memorial Trophy (formerly Sunderland Blind Institute Cup)
- This charity competition was established in 1926 to support the Blind Institute charity. In 1989 it was renamed in honour of Combination vice-chairman Alan Hood, who had been killed in a road accident. The trophy is a full-size replica of the European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.- Alan Croft Memorial Trophy for Sportsmanship
- This trophy is awarded each season to the club which is judged the most sportsmanlike in both on- and off-field conduct. It is named after Alan Croft, who was Combination vice chairman until his death in 1980.
- League Challenge Cup
- This cup was donated to the League in 1950 by noted local ice cream manufacturers the Notarianni Brothers.
Recent divisional champions
Divisional champions since 2000 are:| Season | Premier | Division One |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Belford House Reserves | Voyager Foods |
| 2001-02 | Hendon Grange | Nissan Sunderland Nissan F.C. Sunderland Nissan F.C. was a football club based in Sunderland, England. They joined the Wearside League Division Two as founding members in 1988. Their original name was Washington Nissan. In the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons, they reached the 2nd round of the FA Vase. For the 2008-09 season, their... Reserves |
| 2002-03 | Gate | Mountain Daisy |
| 2003-04 | Hendon Grange | The Dolphin |
| 2004-05 | TWR Trade Frames | The Cauld Lad |
| 2005-06 | TWR Trade Frames | The Dagmar |
| 2006-07 | The Dagmar | Sportsmans Arms |
| 2007-08 | Redhouse | Fulwood Blue Bell |
| 2008-09 | Jolly Potter | Hylton Colliery Welfare |
| 2009-10 | Jolly Potter | Washington Cricket |
| 2010-11 | Sunderland West End | Sunderland Thorney Close Inn |