- Midland Football Combination
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Midland Football Combination 
Countries 
EnglandFounded 1927 Divisions 3 (not including Reserve Division) Number of teams 51 (not including Reserve Divisions) Level on pyramid Levels 10–12 Feeder to Midland Football Alliance League cup(s) President's Cup
Challenge Vase
Challenge Urn
Challenge Trophy
Jack Mould Trophy
Challenge BowlCurrent champions Heather St. John's
(2010–11)Website http://www.midcomb.com/ The Midland Football Combination is an English football league covering parts of the West Midlands. It comprises five divisions, a Premier Division, Divisions One and Two and two Reserves Divisions. The league is one of three official feeder leagues to the Midland Football Alliance.
Prior to 2006, the Premier Division was defined as step 7 in the National League System, even though it fed into the step 5 Midland Alliance.[1] In 2006 it was re-graded as step 6,[2] making teams in the top two divisions eligible to take part in the FA Vase and teams in the top division eligible to enter the FA Cup. Under the terms of a sponsorship agreement, the league is currently billed as the Athium Midland Combination.
Contents
History
The league was founded in 1927 as the Worcestershire Combination. The ten founder members were Oldbury Town, Stourbridge Reserves, Kidderminster Harriers Reserves, Bewdley, Blackheath Town, Halesowen Labour, Highley Colliers, Old Carolians, Stewart & Lloyds (Bilston) and Cookley St Peters. By the 1929–30 season four of the founding clubs had dropped out and the league had been reduced to just six teams, with the result that it held two separate competitions within the one season to bulk out the fixture list, but it then gained eight new teams and has continued to expand.[3]
The league changed its name to the Midland Combination in 1968 to reflect the drawing of clubs from a wider area.
In the 2007–08 season, the league's representative team, drawn from clubs in Division One, reached the final of the FA National League System Cup.[4]
League champions
Worcestershire Combination
Initially the league consisted of a single division
Season Champions[5] 1927-28 Blackheath Town 1928-29 Blackheath Town Due to the number of teams having dropped dramatically, the 1929–30 season consisted of two separate "half-season" leagues.
Season First series Second series[5] 1929-30 Halesowen Labour Dudley Town For the 1930–31 the league reverted to its standard format.
Season Champions[6] 1930-31 Halesowen Labour 1931-32 Dudley Town 1932-33 Tarmac 1933-34 Woodside Wanderers 1934-35 Catshill Village Hall 1935-36 Lye Town 1936-37 Catshill Village Hall 1937-38 Catshill Village Hall 1938-39 Catshill Village Hall The league closed down in 1939 due to the outbreak of the Second World War and did not begin again until 1948.
Season Champions[6] 1948-49 Jack Mould's Athletic 1949-50 Bourneville Athletic 1950-51 Jack Mould's Athletic 1951-52 Walsall Wood 1952-53 Evesham United 1953-54 Brierley Hill Alliance Reserves 1954-55 Evesham United 1955-56 Malvern Town 1956-57 Stratford Town 1957-58 Wolverhampton Wanderers 'B' 1958-59 Shelfield Athletic 1959-60 Paget Rangers 1960-61 Paget Rangers For the 1960–61 season the league added a second division, with the existing division renamed Division One.
Season Division One Division Two[7] 1961-62 Allens Cross Allens Cross Reserves 1962-63 Alvechurch Hall Green Amateurs 1963-64 Hall Green Amateurs Castle Rovers 1964-65 Alvechurch Hall Green Amateurs Reserves 1965-66 Evesham United Alvechurch Reserves 1966-67 Alvechurch Highgate United Reserves 1967-68 Evesham United Whitmore Old Boys Midland Combination
Season Division One Division Two[7] 1968-69 Evesham United Highgate United Reserves 1969-70 Paget Rangers Coleshill Town 1970-71 Paget Rangers Solihull Town 1971-72 Alvechurch Highgate United Reserves 1972-73 Highgate United Albion Haden United 1973-74 Highgate United Astwood Bank Rovers 1974-75 Highgate United Whitmore Old Boys 1975-76 Northfield Town Whitmore Old Boys 1976-77 Blakenall Astwood Bank 1977-78 Sutton Coldfield Town Hurley Daw Mill Welfare 1978-79 Sutton Coldfield Town Stafford For the 1979–80 season a third division was added.
Season Division One Division Two Division Three[8] 1979-80 Bridgnorth Town Hurley Daw Mill Welfare Sheldon Promovere 1980-81 Moor Green Sheldon Promovere Southam United 1981-82 Chipping Norton Town Bedworth United Reserves Paget Rangers Reserves 1982-83 Bridgnorth Town Studley Sporting Bridgnorth Town Reserves For the 1983–84 season the divisions were renamed to Premier, One and Two.
Season Premier Division Division One Division Two 1983-84 Studley Sporting[9] 1984-85 Mile Oak Rovers[10] 1985-86 Boldmere St Michaels[11] 1986-87 Stratford Town[12] 1987-88 Racing Club Warwick[13] 1988-89 Boldmere St Michaels[11] 1989-90 Boldmere St Michaels[11] 1990-91 West Midlands Police[14] 1991-92 Evesham United[15] 1992-93 Armitage 90[16] 1993-94 Pershore Town[17] For the 1993–94 season Division Three was added.
Season Premier Division Division One Division Two Division Three 1994-95 Northfield Town[18] 1995-96 Bloxwich Town[19] 1996-97 Kings Norton Town[20] 1997-98 Worcester Athletico[21] 1998-99 Alveston[22] 1999-00 Nuneaton Griff[23] 2000-01 Nuneaton Griff[23] 2001-02 Grosvenor Park[24] 2002-03 Alvechurch[25] 2003-04 Romulus[26] 2004-05 Leamington[27] 2005-06 Atherstone Town[28] 2006-07 Coventry Sphinx[29] 2007-08 Coleshill Town[30] 2008-09 Loughborough University 2009-10 Heath Hayes Stockingford Allotments Association Hampton Blackwood 2010-11 Heather St. John's Earlswood Town Blackwood Polesworth 2011–12 members
The teams competing in the Combination's first team divisions in the 2011-12 season are as follows:
Premier Division
- Bartley Green
- Bloxwich United
- Bolehall Swifts
- Brocton
- Cadbury Athletic
- Castle Vale
- Castle Vale JKS
- Continental Star
- Coventry Copsewood
- Earlswood Town
- Nuneaton Griff
- Pelsall Villa
- Pershore Town
- Pilkington XXX
- Racing Club Warwick
- Southam United
- Walsall Wood
Division One
- Alvis
- Archdale
- Blackwood
- Bromsgrove Sporting
- Coton Green
- Droitwich Spa
- Fairfield Villa
- Feckenham
- FC Glades Sporting
- Hampton
- Knowle
- Lichfield City
- Littleton
- Northfield Town
- Phoenix United
- Shirley Town
- Stretton Eagles
- West Midlands Police
Division Two
- Aston
- Barton United
- Burntwood Town
- Chelmsley Town
- Clements
- Coventry Spartans
- Enville Athletic
- FC Stratford
- Greenhill
- Henley Forest
- Inkberrow
- Leamington Hibernian
- Perrywood
- Polesworth
- Young Warriors
Cup competitions
Each division other than the Premier has its own knockout competition, Division One competing for the President's Cup, Division Two for the Challenge Vase, Division Three for the Challenge Urn, and the Reserve Division for the Challenge Trophy. There are also other cup competitions run by the Midland Football Combination for its members including the Jack Mould Trophy and the Challenge Bowl.
References
- ^ The FA
- ^ The FA
- ^ Dudley Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ The FA
- ^ a b Robinson, Michael (2007). Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. Soccerdata. pp. 81. ISBN 1-8622-3162-1.
- ^ a b Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 81–85.
- ^ a b Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 85–91.
- ^ Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 91–93.
- ^ Studley Sporting at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Mile Oak Rovers at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c Boldmere St Michaels at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Stratford Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Racing Club Warwick at the Football Club History Database
- ^ West Midlands Police at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Evesham United at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Armitage 90 at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Pershore Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Northfield Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Bloxwich Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Kings Norton Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Worcester Athletico at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Alveston at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b Nuneaton Griff at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Grosvenor Park at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Alvechurch at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Romulus at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Leamington at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Atherstone Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Coventry Sphinx at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Official website
External links
Midland Combination Premier Division Bartley Green · Bloxwich United · Bolehall Swifts · Brocton · Cadbury Athletic · Castle Vale · Castle Vale JKS · Continental Star · Coventry Copsewood · Earlswood Town · Nuneaton Griff · Pelsall Villa · Pershore Town · Pilkington XXX · Racing Club Warwick · Southam United · Walsall WoodDivision One Alvis · Archdale · Blackwood · Bromsgrove Sporting · Coton Green · Droitwich Spa · Fairfield Villa · Feckenham · FC Glades Sporting · Hampton · Knowle · Lichfield City · Littleton · Northfield Town · Phoenix United · Shirley Town · Stretton Eagles · West Midlands PoliceFootball in England The FA · PFA · LMA National teams National Football Centre St George's Park (Burton)League system Domestic cups FA Cup · Football League Cup · FA Community Shield · Football League Trophy · FA Trophy · Conference League Cup · FA Vase · FA Inter-League CupOthers Masters FootballLists Venues · Competitions · Trophies and Awards · History · Records Categories:- Midland Football Combination
- 1927 establishments
- Sport in the West Midlands (county)
- Football leagues in England
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