- London League
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 ofThames Ironworks F.C. (now known asWest Ham United ). One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition wasFrancis Payne , club secretary of Thames Ironworks F.C. in 1897. The league started with three divisions, the
3rd Grenadier Guards winning the inaugural championship.The league fluctuated between having a single division and reaching four divisions. Before
World War I , most of the senior LondonFootball League clubs fielded a reserve side in the London League.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 theMetropolitan League .Champions
London League Division One
*1896-1897 -
3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.
*1897-1898 -Thames Ironworks F.C. London League Division Two
*1896-1897 -
Bromley F.C.
*1897-1898 -Barnet F.C. London League Premier Division
*1901-1902 -
West Ham United
*1902-1903 -Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
*1903-1904 -Millwall F.C. London League Division One A
*1909-1910 -
Barking F.C. In 1924, Division Two was disbanded
Within 12 months, enough clubs had joined to form a new Division Two
In 1963, an increase in the number of clubs led to a reversion to two divisions.
League Positions
Division One 1896-1897
#
3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.
#Thames Ironworks F.C.
#Barking Woodville F.C.
#Ilford F.C.
#Crouch End F.C.
#Vampires F.C.
#London Welsh F.C. *
1st Scots Guards F.C. withdrew during the season and the matches were expunged from the records.London Welsh F.C. were suspended close to the end of season, and as a result Thames Ironworks F.C. were awarded two wins for games unplayed against them.Division One 1897-1898
#
Thames Ironworks F.C.
#Brentford F.C.
#Leyton F.C.
#3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.
#Ilford F.C.
#Stanley F.C.
#Barking Woodville F.C.
#Bromley F.C.
#2nd Grenadier Guards F.C. References
* [http://www.fchd.info Football Club History Database]
*cite book | author=Blows, Kirk & Hogg, Tony| title=The Essential History of West Ham United | publisher=Headline | year=2000| id=ISBN 0-7472-7036-8
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