Full name | Midland Counties Football Union |
---|---|
Founded | 1879 |
Disbanded | 1920 |
Region | The Midlands |
The Midland Counties Football Union was a governing body for rugby union in The Midlands, England from 1879 to 1920.
The organisation was formed as the Midland Counties Football Club and covered the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The Midland Counties representative team played in the County Championship from its inception in 1888 until 1920. The main club event was the Midland Counties Challenge Cup which continued to run until 1926.
Up until and following the disbandment in 1920, the union broke up and distributed its assets to the following unions:
The North Midlands was given responsibility for clubs sides based in Birmingham and the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, most of which were sub-members under the North Midlands umbrella (the Staffordshire RU would later achieve full RFU membership in 1962). [5] The Leicestershire and Warwickshire unions became full county constituents in their own right.
Club sides that had been based in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire would later join the Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire Rugby Football Union (created 1926). [6]
The Midland Counties Cup was inaugurated during the 1880-81 season and held for the first time the following season. [9]
+ Result declared null and void. [10] The competition was discontinued after 1925-26.
The Midlands is the central part of England, bordered by Wales, Northern England, Southern England and the North Sea. The Midlands were important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries and are split into the West Midlands and East Midlands. The biggest city, Birmingham, is the second-largest in the United Kingdom. Other important cities include Coventry, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, and Worcester
Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton, and the county town is Warwick.
The Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League is the oldest club cricket league in the United Kingdom, formed in 1888. It was the first ECB Premier League, being designated such in 1998, and is one of the strongest of the ECB Premier Leagues.
The Rugby Football Union Midland Division is a rugby union governing body for the English Midlands and is part of the Rugby Football Union.
Midlands 5 East (North) was a level 10 English Rugby Union league and level 5 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the northern part of the East Midlands region including Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the occasional team from Leicestershire, with home and away matches played throughout the season.
Midlands 3 West (South) is a level 8 English Rugby Union league and level 3 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the southern part of the West Midlands region including clubs from parts of Birmingham and the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and sometimes Oxfordshire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands West 2, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 4 West (North) and Midlands 4 West (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, led to the current name of Midlands 3 West (South).
Midlands 3 West (North) is a level 8 English Rugby Union league and level 3 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the northern part of the West Midlands region including Shropshire, Staffordshire, parts of Birmingham and the West Midlands and occasionally Cheshire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands West 2, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 4 West (North) and Midlands 4 West (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, led to the current name of Midlands 3 West (North).
Midlands 4 East (North) is a level 9 English Rugby Union league and level 4 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the northern part of the East Midlands region including clubs from Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the occasional team from Leicestershire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
Midlands 2 West (South) is a level seven English rugby union league and level two of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the southern part of the West Midlands region including Herefordshire, parts of Birmingham and the West Midlands, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands West 1, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 3 West (North) and Midlands 3 West (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, lead to the current name of Midlands 2 West (South).
Regional 2 West Midlands is an English level 6 rugby union league for rugby clubs in the western region of the Midlands. It includes sides from Birmingham, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands, Worcestershire and occasionally Cheshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Oxfordshire. When this division began in 1987 it was known as Midlands 2 West, and has been restructured several times, most notably as a single division known as Midlands 2 between 1992 and 2000. It has been called Regional 2 West Midlands since 2022–23.
Midlands 2 West (North) is a level 7 English Rugby Union league and level 2 of the Midlands League, made up of clubs from the northern part of the West Midlands region including Shropshire, Staffordshire, parts of Birmingham and the West Midlands and occasionally Cheshire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands West 1, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 3 West (North) and Midlands 3 West (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, lead to the current name of Midlands 2 West (North).
The North Midlands Rugby Football Union is a governing body for rugby union in part of The Midlands, England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union for the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and the Greater Birmingham area.
The Warwickshire Rugby Football Union is a governing body for rugby union in part of The Midlands, England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union for the city of Coventry and the county of Warwickshire. The current president is Yorkie Kinmond of the Earlsdon Rugby Club.
The Leicestershire Rugby Union (LRU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for those counties. The LRU administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in those two counties and administers the Leicestershire county rugby representative teams.
The Staffordshire Rugby Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the county of Staffordshire in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Staffordshire, and administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the county. It also administers the Staffordshire county rugby representative teams.
The Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire & Derbyshire Rugby Football Union is a governing body for rugby union in part of The Midlands, England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union for the counties of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, with each county having also having their own sub-unions with additional club cup competitions. As well as overseeing club rugby, the Notts, Lincs and Derbyshire RFU also administers the county representative teams.
Staffordshire/Warwickshire 1 was a tier 9 English Rugby Union league, with teams from Staffordshire and Warwickshire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to Midlands West 2 and relegated teams dropped to either Staffordshire 1 or Warwickshire 1. The division was cancelled at the end of the 1999–00 campaign due to nationwide league restructuring by the RFU, with the majority of teams transferred into the newly introduced Midlands 4 West (North) or Midlands 4 West (South).
Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 East was a tier 9 division in the English rugby union system with teams from Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and the eastern region of Leicestershire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to Midlands 4 East (North) and relegated teams dropped to Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 2 East.
Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 2 East was a tier 10 English Rugby Union league with teams from Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and the eastern region of Leicestershire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire/Leicestershire 1 East and there was no relegation.
The Leicestershire and Warwickshire Electric Power Company Limited provided electricity to consumers in parts of the English midland counties of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. Electricity was supplied by the company from 1913 until the nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.