The London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964.
In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. (which later reformed as West Ham United). One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was Francis Payne, club secretary of Thames Ironworks F.C. in 1897.[1] The league started with three divisions,[2] the 3rd Grenadier Guards winning the inaugural championship.[3]
The league fluctuated between having a single division and reaching four divisions. Before World War I, most of the senior London Football League clubs fielded a reserve side in the London League.[citation needed]
In 1964, the London League ceased to exist, merging with the Aetolian League to form the Greater London League, which then further merged in 1971 with the Metropolitan League to form the Metropolitan–London League.[4] This later merged into the Spartan League, which in turn merged into the modern Spartan South Midlands League.[citation needed]
- ^ Blows, Kirk & Hogg, Tony (2000). The Essential History of West Ham United. Headline. p. 18. ISBN 0-7472-7036-8.
- ^ "London Football League". The Middlesex Courier. 21 May 1897. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Northcutt, John; Marsh, Steve (2015). West Ham United: The Complete Record. deCoubertin Books. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-909245-27-3.
- ^ "Greater London League". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
