| Founded | 1889 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1895 |
| Region |  England |
| Teams | 10–12 |
| Most championships | Accrington reserves/Burnley reserves, 2 titles each |
The North-East Lancashire League was an association football competition for clubs in Lancashire, which ran from 1889 to 1894.
The League was founded on 2 May 1889 at a meeting at the Bridge Inn, Accrington, with 12 original members: [1]
Clitheroe was also meant to be a member, but withdrew before the season started. [3]
The first champion was Brierfield, despite a 4 point deduction for fielding ineligible players, [4] on goal average from Irwell Springs, [5] with an 8–5 win over Burnley Union Star in its final match, coming from 5–1 down at half-time by scoring six goals in ten minutes. [6]
Reserve sides of Football League clubs were allowed into the competition from 1890–91, which caused problems for clubs fielding their first teams - Accrington for instance bolstering their XI with several first-team players when necessary [7] - and the other titles were won by reserve sides. Accrington's reserves win in 1890–91 (having won its first 15 games) [8] and 1891–92, and Burnley's reserve side, Burnley Swifts, took the next two titles. [9] The 1893–94 season was the League's last, as, at the season end, it was absorbed into the Lancashire Combination; [10] the competition had already been undermined when Bacup (the re-named Irwell Springs) had been elevated into the Lancashire League after 11 games in the season, at which point it had won 9 times. [11]
| Year | Teams leaving | Teams joining |
|---|---|---|
| 1890–91 | Bell's Temperance, Burnley Union Star, Haslingden Association, Padiham | Accrington reserves, Blackburn Rovers reserves, Burnley Swifts, Clitheroe |
| 1891–92 | Darwen Rovers, Haslingden Church Institute; [12] Blackburn Rovers reserves and Colne did not complete the previous season | Bell's Temperance, Darwen reserves, Oswaldtwistle Rovers, Padiham |
| 1892–93 | Darwen reserves | Haslingden Association |
| 1893–94 | Peel Bank Rovers, Haslingden Association | none |