Central League (England)

Last updated

The Central League
Founded1911
CountryFlag of England.svg  England Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Divisions1
Number of clubs12
Current champions Accrington Stanley
(2022–23)

The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. [1]

Contents

The league was formed in 1911 and in its early years consisted of a mix of first teams and reserve teams from the North and the Midlands. However, when the Football League Third Division North was created in 1921, all the first teams in the Central League became founder members.

Since then, the league has been for reserve teams only, and eventually expanded to include virtually every professional team in the South, Midlands and North of England. Southern teams used to play in the Football Combination. In recent years, the Premier Reserve League was created for reserve sides of Premier League teams, and so the Central League's membership has been reduced.

From the 2006/07 season the FA Premier Reserve League was restricted to the reserve sides of FA Premier League clubs. This meant that the reserve sides of Championship clubs rejoined the Central League.

Teams are not promoted to the Premier Reserve League based on their final league position, but on the league position of their respective clubs' senior teams. If the senior team is promoted to the Premier League, then the reserve team is promoted to the Premier Reserve League and replaced by the reserve teams of the relegated clubs.

It was announced on 31 December 2013 that the Central League secured a sponsorship arrangement with Final Third Sports Media, and was known as the 'Final Third Development League' with immediate effect for two seasons. [1]

On 11 June 2014, it was announced that the league would expand to become a national competition by running a division in the south of the country for the 2014/15 season for the first time. [2] The 2021–22 season was Northern only again, and only featured six teams, though the Central League Cup remained national. Wrexham joined for the 2022–23 season, despite not being in the EFL. Twelve teams entered in 2023–24, with them split into two leagues of six.

Champions

1911–2024

1911–12 Lincoln City
1912–13 Manchester United
1913–14 Everton
1914–15 Huddersfield Town
1919–20 Blackpool
1920–21 Manchester United
1921–22 Sheffield United
1922–23 West Bromwich Albion
1923–24 West Bromwich Albion
1924–25 Huddersfield Town
1925–26 Huddersfield Town
1926–27 West Bromwich Albion
1927–28 Stoke City
1928–29 Sheffield Wednesday
1929–30 Aston Villa
1930–31 Huddersfield Town
1931–32 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1932–33 West Bromwich Albion
1933–34 West Bromwich Albion
1934–35 West Bromwich Albion
1935–36 Derby County
1936–37 Leeds United
1937–38 Everton
1938–39 Manchester United
1945–46 Sheffield Wednesday
1946–47 Manchester United
1947–48 Newcastle United
1948–49 Burnley
1949–50 Blackpool
1950–51 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1951–52 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1952–53 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1953–54 Everton
1954–55 Bolton Wanderers
1955–56 Manchester United
1956–57 Liverpool
1957–58 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1958–59 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1959–60 Manchester United
1960–61 Sheffield Wednesday
1961–62 Burnley
1962–63 Burnley
1963–64 Aston Villa
1964–65 Blackburn Rovers
1965–66 Sheffield United
1966–67 Blackburn Rovers
1967–68 Everton
1968–69 Liverpool
1969–70 Liverpool
1970–71 Liverpool
1971–72 Derby County
1972–73 Liverpool
1973–74 Liverpool
1974–75 Liverpool
1975–76 Liverpool
1976–77 Liverpool
1977–78 Manchester City
1978–79 Liverpool
1979–80 Liverpool
1980–81 Liverpool
1981–82 Liverpool
1982–83 West Bromwich Albion
1983–84 Liverpool
1984–85 Liverpool
1985–86 Derby County
1986–87 Manchester City
1987–88 Nottingham Forest
1988–89 Nottingham Forest
1989–90 Liverpool
1990–91 Sheffield Wednesday
1991–92 Nottingham Forest
1992–93 Aston Villa
1993–94 Manchester United
1994–95 Bolton Wanderers
1995–96 Manchester United
1996–97 Manchester United
1997–98 Leeds United
1998–99 Sunderland
1999–00 Manchester City
2000–01 Tranmere Rovers
2001–02 Preston North End
2002–03 Sheffield United
2003–04 Stoke City
2004–05 Hull City
2005–06+ Doncaster Rovers
2006-07+ Nottingham Forest
2007-08+ Manchester City
2008-09^ Shrewsbury Town
2009-10^ Wrexham
2010-11^ Preston North End
2011-12^ Middlesbrough
2012-13~ Shrewsbury Town
2013-14~ Hull City
2014-15^ Hull City
2015–16^ Notts County
2016–17^ Walsall
2017–18^ Port Vale
2018–19~ Milton Keynes Dons
2019–20^(not completed)
2020–21(not played)
2021–22 Preston North End
2022–23 Accrington Stanley
2023–24~(not completed)

+ - Three divisions, overall winner decided after a series of play-offs. ^ - Three divisions, overall winner is the team with the best points per game ratio. ~ - Two divisions, overall winner is the team with the best points per game ratio.

Championships by club

PClubNumber of Wins
1 Liverpool 16
2 Manchester United 9
3 West Bromwich Albion 7
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 6
5 Derby County 4
Everton 4
Huddersfield Town 4
Manchester City 4
Nottingham Forest 4
Sheffield Wednesday 4
11 Aston Villa 3
Burnley 3
Hull City 3
Preston North End 3
Sheffield United 3
16 Blackburn Rovers 2
Blackpool 2
Bolton Wanderers 2
Leeds United 2
Stoke City 2
Shrewsbury Town 2
22 Accrington Stanley 1
Doncaster Rovers 1
Lincoln City 1
Middlesbrough 1
Milton Keynes Dons 1
Newcastle United 1
Notts County 1
Port Vale 1
Sunderland 1
Tranmere Rovers 1
Walsall 1
Wrexham 1

Central League Cup

Since 1996 the league has also operated a cup competition – The Central League Cup.

Winners

SeasonWinners
1996–97 Stoke City
1997–98 Sheffield United
1998–99 Tranmere Rovers
1999–00
2000–01 Sheffield United
2001–02 Doncaster Rovers
2002–03 Hull City
2003–04 Sheffield Wednesday
2004–05 Manchester United
2005–06 Shrewsbury Town
2006–07 Lincoln City
2007–08 Morecambe
2008–09 Sunderland [3]
2009–10 Leicester City [4]
2010–11 Sunderland
2011–12(not completed)
2012–13 Gateshead
2013–14 Wigan Athletic
2014–15 Middlesbrough
2015–16North: Burnley
South: Southend United
2016–17North: Wigan Athletic
South: Bristol City
2017–18North: Mansfield Town
South: Southend United
2018–19 Bournemouth
2019–20(not completed)
2020–21 Bournemouth
2021–22(not completed)
2022–23 Blackpool
2023–24 Burnley [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the 11th season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003.

The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Junior Football Association, East Region</span> Association football league in Scotland

The Scottish Junior Football Association, East Region is one of two regions of the SJFA, which currently organises the Midlands League and local cup competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Football League</span> Seventh and eighth tier of the English football pyramid

The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in England</span>

Football is the most popular sport in England. England is home to the world's first football league, the oldest national governing body, and the oldest national knockout competition. The first modern rules for the game were established in England in 1863. England is one of the oldest national football teams, having played in the first international match in 1872. England won the FIFA World Cup in 1966, and has qualified for the World Cup 16 times. England has more football clubs than any other country, including the world's first club, Sheffield F.C., and the world's oldest professional club, Notts County. England's top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest leagues in the world. The British Empire's cultural power spread the rules of football to areas of British influence. England the home of football, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association football clubs, England has more clubs involved in the code than any other country. England hosts the world's first club, Sheffield F.C.; the world's oldest professional association football club, Notts County; the oldest national governing body, the Football Association; the joint-oldest national team; the oldest national knockout competition, the FA Cup; and the oldest national league, the English Football League. It also has 31% of the population interested in Football. Today England's top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest sports leagues in the world, with five of the ten richest football clubs in the world as of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EFL Championship</span> Football league

The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional football league in England and Wales. EFL Championship is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the English football league system, after the Premier League, and is contested by 24 clubs.

The 1996–97 FA Premier League was the fifth season of the FA Premier League since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool. The title was eventually won by Manchester United, after Liverpool's and Newcastle's failure to win in their penultimate games of the season; at 75 points it is the lowest points total for a Premier League champion club and lowest since the 3-1-0 points system was introduced in the 1981–82 season.

The 1997–98 FA Premier League was the sixth season of the FA Premier League. It saw Arsenal lift their first league title since 1991 and, in so doing, became only the second team to win The Double for the second time.

The 1999–2000 FA Premier League was the eighth season of the FA Premier League, and Manchester United secured their sixth Premiership title. Like the previous season, they lost only three league games all season. Unlike in 1998–99 season, they won by a comfortable margin – 18 points as opposed to a single point.

The 2000–01 FA Premier League was the ninth FA Premier League season and the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles with the same club. Liverpool, meanwhile, managed a unique cup treble – winning the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. They also finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League. Nike replaced Mitre as manufacturer of the official Premier League match ball, a contract that has since been extended multiple times, with the most recent renewal made in November 2018 to the end of the 2024–25 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005–06 FA Premier League</span> 14th season of the Premier League

The 2005–06 FA Premier League was the 14th season of the Premier League. It began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April. On the same day, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City were relegated, joining Sunderland in the Championship for the following season. Chelsea drew the record they set the previous season, with 29 wins in home and away campaigns.

1840s1850s1860s1870s1880s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s

The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England. This year The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level on points, replacing the traditional goal average tiebreaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring. Coloured red and yellow cards were introduced for the first time in domestic English football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English Football League</span> Association football league

The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League. The Football League was rebranded as the "English Football League" (EFL) starting with the 2016–17 season.

The 1978–79 season was the 80th completed season of the Football League.

Derby County Women are an English women's football club affiliated with Derby County F.C. The first-team currently play in the FA Women's National League North Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunderland A.F.C. Reserves and Academy</span> Football club

Sunderland A.F.C. Academy is the collective name for the youth development squads of Sunderland Association Football Club, primarily the U18 and U21 teams. Sunderland have an 'Elite' Category 1 football academy based on the Elite Player Performance Plan and their teams are members of the Professional Development League.

The 2018–19 FA Women's National League is the 27th season of the competition, and the first since a restructure and rebranding of the top four tiers of English football by The Football Association. Began in 1992, it was previously known as the FA Women's Premier League. It sits at the third and fourth levels of the women's football pyramid, below the FA Women's Championship and above the eight regional football leagues.

References

  1. 1 2 "Central League agree partnership with Final Third". The Football League. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  2. "Final Third Development League expands to become a national competition". The Football League. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  3. "Sunderland 'til I Die - Out now". Sunderland Association Football Club.
  4. "Homepage".
  5. "Under-21s Report: Derby County 2–3 Burnley". Derby County F.C. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.