Midland Football League (Scotland)

Last updated

The Midland Football League was an association football league tournament in Scotland that was contested in three different periods. The first incarnation of the tournament was founded in 1891 and ran until 1897 when most of the member clubs left to join the Central Football Combination. In 1903, it was reformed for a single season and again in 1908 for three seasons but was largely unfinished. All the teams that competed in the league were based in the Midlands of Scotland.

Contents

Original (1891–1897)

Midland Football League (original)
Founded16 May 1891
Folded1897
Number of teams7 (1896–97)
Last champions Clackmannan
(1896–97)
Most championships6 clubs (1 title each)

The original Midland Football League was established in 1891 and was contested by teams from the Midlands of Scotland. [1]

At a meeting in April 1891 in Larbert of representatives from eight football clubs there was a discussion about forming a new league. A month later an official meeting was held in Alloa and the Midland Football League was founded. There were ten clubs that competed in the inaugural season: Alloa Athletic, Alva, Bridge of Allan, Camelon, Clackmannan, Cowdenbeath, Dunblane, Dunfermline Athletic, Grangemouth and Raith Rovers. The original Midland Football League ran for seven seasons with membership frequently changing from season to season.

Reform attempts

1903–04

The Midland Football League was reformed in 1903, six years after the original competition folded in 1897. Ten clubs met in Glasgow and reformed the tournament but it lasted for only one season after six of the clubs left to reform the Eastern League. The competition was won by Bo'ness. [2]

1908–11

An attempt was made to reform the league for a second time in 1908 with seven clubs. It ran successfully for one season with Falkirk 'A' winning the league but three clubs left, Bo'ness, Broxburn Athletic and Stenhousemuir, to help form the Central Football League in 1909. For the next two seasons the competition was largely unfinished with a backlog of outstanding fixtures and was eventually cancelled at the end of the 1910–11 season. [3]

Winners

SeasonWinner
1891–92 Raith Rovers
1892–93 King's Park
1893–94 East Stirlingshire
1894–95 Falkirk
1895–96 Stenhousemuir
1896–97 Clackmannan
Defunct 1897 to 1903
1903–04 Bo'ness
Defunct 1904 to 1908
1908–09 Falkirk 'A'
1909–10 Clackmannan
1910–11 Hearts of Oak

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East of Scotland Football League</span> Association football league in Scotland

The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a senior football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.

<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">Alloa Athletic F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire.

The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA on the 2nd October 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compete in the tournament. The cup has an unseeded knockout format with semi-finals played as single legs, and the final played at a neutral venue of an SPFL club.

Clackmannan Football Club was a football club based in Clackmannan, Scotland. They were members of the Scottish Football League in two spells, both during the 1920s, and played at Chapelhill Park. Players wore blue and white hoops.

The Scottish Football Alliance was a league football structure set up in Scotland in competition with the Scottish Football League. Its success in the early years of professional football in both England and Scotland made the Alliance the basis for a second division in both countries. The Alliance attracted a number of Junior clubs to the League system, which boosted its future viability.

There have been at least three competitions in Scotland known as the Central Football League

Formed in 1897 by Camelon F.C., Dunblane F.C., East Stirlingshire F.C., Fair City Athletic F.C., Falkirk F.C., Kilsyth Wanderers F.C., King's Park F.C., St Johnstone F.C. and Stenhousemuir F.C.. This Scottish football competition was basically a continuation of the Midland Football League in Scotland and Central Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heanor Town F.C.</span> Association football club in Heanor, England

Heanor Town Football Club is a football club based in Heanor, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division North and play at the Town Ground.

This was a Scottish non-league football (soccer) competition that ran at various times between 1891 and 1946.

The Scottish Football Union was a football league competition that existed from 1906 till the outbreak of the First World War. It was formed after the collapse of the Scottish Football Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East of Scotland Shield</span>

The East of Scotland Shield is a Scottish football trophy awarded by the East of Scotland Football Association. The only older cup competition in Scottish football is the Scottish Cup. The tournament is the third-oldest in world football still competed for annually, after the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. The next oldest tournament in world football is the Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup; the next oldest tournament in Scottish football is the Renfrewshire Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Scottish Challenge Cup final</span> Football match

The 1999 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as the Bell's Challenge Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was a football match between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Alloa Athletic on 21 November 1999 at Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie. It was the ninth final of the Scottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Football League.

The 2014–15 Scottish Cup was the 130th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the fourth season of a five-year partnership.

The Midlands Football League is a junior football league based in the Tayside area of Scotland. The league sits at level 6 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Highland Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camelon F.C. (1884)</span> Association football club in Scotland

Camelon Football Club was a football club from the town of Camelon, Stirlingshire, Scotland. The club twice won the Stirlingshire Cup in the late 19th century but was wound up in 1905.

Alva Football Club was a football club based in Alva, Clackmannanshire.

The Scottish Football Combination was a football league football structure set up in Scotland for clubs outside the Scottish Football League and the reserves of some of the League members.

Adventurers Football Club was a Scottish association football club based in Edinburgh.

The King Cup is an association football cup competition for members of the East of Scotland Football Association in Scotland. The competition was founded in 1886.

References

  1. ↑ Midland Football League First version 1891-1897 Archived 24 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine , Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Midland Football League Second version 1903-04, Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Midland Football League Third version 1908-1911, Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.