| Founded | 1922 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1922–23 |
| Folded | 1997 |
| Country |  England |
| Divisions | 1–4 |
| Promotion to | Isthmian League |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup, FA Vase |
| Most championships | Barton Rovers (8) |
The South Midlands League was a football league covering Bedfordshire and some adjoining counties in England. It was founded in 1922 as the Bedfordshire County League and merged with the Spartan League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League.
The league was formed in 1922 as the Bedfordshire County League, beginning with eight clubs; Arlesey Town, Biggleswade & District Reserves, Leighton United, Letchworth Town, Luton Clarence Reserves, RAF Henlow, Stotfold Athletic and Waterlows Athletic. [1] In 1924 the league was renamed the Bedfordshire & District County League. [1] A second division was added in 1925, [1] and in 1929 it was renamed the South Midlands League. [1]
Division Two had only six clubs in 1930–31 and 1931–32, and was not played in 1932–33. [1] However, it was reintroduced for the 1933–34 season with nine clubs, all but two of which were reserve teams. [1]
The league was abandoned in 1939 due to World War II, before returning for the 1946–47 season. [1] In 1947 Division One was renamed the Premier Division and Division Two became Division One, with a new third division added, named Division Two. [1] The league gained another division in 1949 when Division Two was split into Division Two A and B, with a play-off between the two division winners to determine the overall Division Two champions. [1] The following season Division Two reverted to being a single division. [2]
Division Two was abolished in 1955 after having shrunk to only eight clubs in 1954–55. [2] The league then remained unchanged until 1993 when Division One was renamed the Senior Division and a new division (Division One) added as a third tier. [3] In 1997 the league merged with the Spartan League to form the Spartan South Midlands League. [3] The new league initially ran with two Premier Divisions (north and south), a Senior Division and two Division Ones (north and south). [4]
During the evolution of the National League System, the league became a feeder to the Isthmian League, with clubs such as Leighton Town, Oxford City and Bedford Town earning promotion.
Although clubs from the league played in the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup from the late 1920s onwards, none ever reached the first round proper. The best performance came from Barton Rovers in 1976–77 when they reached the fourth qualifying round. South Midlands League clubs had more success in the FA Vase, with Barton Rovers reaching the final in 1977–78 and Arlesey Town winning the competition in 1994–95.
Biggleswade was a historic 'hundred' of English county of Bedfordshire. The hundred consisted of the town of Biggleswade and its surrounding area. The name Biggleswade comes from a concatenation of the Anglo Saxon words 'Biceil' and 'Waed'.
Arlesey Town Football Club is a football club based in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and play at New Lamb Meadow.
Stotfold Football Club is a football club based at Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England. They play in the Southern League Division One Central. The club is affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association.
Langford is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England about 10 miles (16 km) south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census gives the population as 3,091.
Baldock Town Football Club is a football club based in Baldock, Hertfordshire, England. Having originally been established in 1905, the current version of the club was established in 2003. They are currently members of Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and groundshare with Arlesey Town at their Hitchin Road ground.
Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created in 2009.
This is an outline of Sport in Bedfordshire, a county in England.
The 2012–13 season was the 110th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales. From the previous season onwards, the Southern League was known as The Evo-Stik League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The 2013–14 season was the 111th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales. From the 2013–14 season onwards, the Southern League is known as The Calor Gas League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Calor Gas.
The Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the Beds Senior Cup is the county cup of Bedfordshire. According to the current rules of the competition, it is open to all clubs whose affiliation is with the Bedfordshire County FA (BCFA). The current holders are Luton Town who won the competition when it was last contested in the 2022/23 season in a 6-2 victory over Biggleswade F.C. in the final.
The 2014–15 season was the 112th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales. From the current season onwards, the Southern League is known as Evo-Stik Southern Premier, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The 2015–16 season was the 113th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales. From the 2014–15 season onwards, the Southern League is known as Evo-Stik League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The 2016–17 season was the 114th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales. From the 2014–15 season onwards, the Southern League is known as Evo-Stik League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The 2011 Central Bedfordshire Council electionfor the Central Bedfordshire Council were held on 5 May 2011, along with other United Kingdom local elections. The whole council was up for election following boundary changes, with each successful candidate serving a four-year term of office, expiring in 2015.
The 1998–99 Spartan South Midlands Football League season was the 2nd in the history of Spartan South Midlands Football League.
The 2022–23 season was the 26th in the history of the Spartan South Midlands Football League, a football competition in England. The league operates three divisions, two of which are in covered in this article, the Premier Division, at Step 5 and Division One at Step 6 of the English football league system.
The 2023–24 season is the 27th in the history of the Spartan South Midlands Football League, a football competition in England. The league operates three divisions, two of which are in covered in this article, the Premier Division, at Step 5 and Division One at Step 6 of the English football league system.