West Midlands Regional League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| West Midlands (Regional) League | |
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| Country | England |
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| Founded | 1889 |
| Divisions | 3 |
| Number of teams | 56 |
| Feeder to | Midland Football Alliance |
| Levels on pyramid | Level 6 to 8 |
| Website | http://full-time.thefa.com/gen/Index.do?league=3244788 |
The West Midlands (Regional) League is a football competition based in England, covering the West Midlands, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and South Staffordshire. It has three divisions, the highest of which is the Premier Division, which sits at step 6 (or level 10) of the National League System and is a feeder to the Midland Football Alliance.
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[edit] Structure
Prior to 2006, the league was defined as step 7, even though it fed into the step 5 Midland Alliance. In 2006 it was re-graded as step 6, 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.
Successful teams from the Shropshire County League and the Kidderminster & District League may apply to join the West Midlands (Regional) League. [1] Ellesmere Rangers have made it from the lower division of the Shropshire League to the top division of the West Midlands Regional League in just four seasons. Regional League teams could also theoretically be relegated to the local leagues but in practice this very rarely happens.
Under the terms of a sponsorship deal, the league is currently known as the Sport Italia West Midlands (Regional) League.
[edit] History
The league was formed in 1889 [1] as the Birmingham and District League with an initial membership of 12 clubs. Although Kidderminster Olympic topped the final table, the title was declared void as a number of fixtures had not been completed, a situation which was to be repeated in each of the subsequent two seasons (on both occasions Brierley Hill Alliance topped the table but did not win the title). Despite the league's name, in the years prior to World War I it came to include teams from as far afield as Bristol, Wrexham and Crewe. During this period the reserve teams of local Football League teams won the league title almost every year.
Soon after World War I the reserve sides left the league, although some Football League clubs' 'A' teams and some Southern Football League teams' reserve sides played in the league until 1960. In 1954 the league absorbed the floundering Birmingham Combination, expanding to include Divisions One South and One North, later revised to Divisions One and Two. In 1960, when the remaining reserve teams left the league, all the remaining clubs were consolidated into one 24 team division.
In 1962 the league changed its name to the West Midlands (Regional) League to more accurately reflect its catchment area. It soon expanded to include a Premier Division, Division One and Division Two, a format it has mostly retained to this day, despite the elevation of ten clubs to the newly-formed Midland Football Alliance in 1994.
At present the league continues to operate with a three division structure and over 50 member clubs. It also operates a League Cup for each division.
[edit] Current member clubs 2007-08
[edit] Premier Division
AFC Wulfrunians | Bewdley Town | Bridgnorth Town | Brierley Hill & Withymoor | Bromyard Town | Bustleholme | Darlaston Town | Dudley Sports | Dudley Town | Ellesmere Rangers | Goodrich | Gornal Athletic | Ledbury Town | Ludlow Town | Lye Town | Pelsall Villa | Shawbury United | Tividale | Wednesfield | Wellington | Wolverhampton Casuals
[edit] Division One
AFC Wombourne United | Bilbrook | Birchills United | Blackheath Town | Bridgnorth Town Reserves | Cresswell Wanderers | Dudley United | Gornal Athletic Reserves | Heath Town Rangers | Malvern Town Reserves | Penn Croft | Riverway | Shenstone Pathfinder | Sporting Khalsa | Stafford Town | Warstones Wanderers | Wednesbury Town | Wolverhampton Development | Wolverhampton United
[edit] Division Two
Bentley Youth | Bilston Town (2007) | Black Country Rangers | Brereton Town | Bustleholme Reserves | Heath Town Rangers Reserves | Mahal | Parkfield United | Penkridge Town | Penn Colts | Powick | Punjab United Sports | Stone Old Alleynians | Tenbury United | Wellington Amateurs | Wyrley Juniors
[edit] League champions
[edit] Birmingham & District League
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[edit] West Midlands (Regional) League
[edit] References
- ^ a b History page on the league's website
- ^ a b c d Wolverhampton Wanderers Reserves at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Old Hill Wanderers at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Aston Villa Reserves at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Hereford Thistle at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c West Bromwich Albion Reserves at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Stoke at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c d Worcester City at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Birmingham Reserves at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c Wellington Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Willenhall at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Shrewsbury Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Stourbridge at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c Cradley Heath at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Stafford Rangers at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b Wrexham Reserves at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Bristol Rovers Reserves at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c d e f Kidderminster Harriers at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c d e Halesowen Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Kettering Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b Brierley Hill Alliance at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c Wolverhampton Wanderers 'A' at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Walsall Reserves at the Football Club History Database
