Wearside Combination Football League
The Wearside Combination Football League is a non-league football competition based in County Durham, England. It was confirmed that as of the 2015–16 season the Wearside Combination League would come to an end after 70 years.
Sunderland Hendon are the current champions of the league, Hendon have now won the league for three consecutive seasons and are the last ever winners of the league.
History
The Combination in its current guise was established in 1945. Prior to the Second World War it had operated as the Sunderland and District Nonconformist and Brotherhood League. As well as the change of name it also came under the control of the Durham County Football Association for the first time.
Currently the league has nine teams in one division, although in the past it has operated with as many as sixty-four teams in four divisions.
Many players join the Combination from pub, club and factory teams, and in turn move up to the Wearside League or Northern League. The Wearside Combination has no official place in the English football league system, but can be approximated at level 13 below the Wearside League (11) and the Durham Alliance League (12).
Member clubs 2014–15
The league is sponsored by TWR Commercial Trade Frames for the 2014–15 season.
- Sunderland Aquatic Sports
- Sunderland Corner Flag
- Sunderland Hall Farm
- Sunderland Hendon
- Sunderland Dynamos Last Orders
- Sunderland Oddies
- Sunderland Park View
- University of Sunderland
- Whitburn Village
Cups
In addition to the league, the teams also compete for a number of cups.
- Wearmouth and Hylton Aged Peoples Trophy (formerly Aged Miners Homes Cup)
- This cup was established in 1934 to raise funds for the Aged Miners homes in Sunderland. As the charity was wound up, the competition was renamed in 2001.
- Alan Hood Memorial Trophy (formerly Sunderland Blind Institute Cup)
- This charity competition was established in 1926 to support the Blind Institute charity. In 1989 it was renamed in honour of Combination vice-chairman Alan Hood, who had been killed in a road accident. The trophy is a full-size replica of the European Cup.
- Alan Croft Memorial Trophy for Sportsmanship
- This trophy is awarded each season to the club which is judged the most sportsmanlike in both on- and off-field conduct. It is named after Alan Croft, who was Combination vice chairman until his death in 1980.
- League Challenge Cup
- This cup was donated to the League in 1950 by noted local ice cream manufacturers the Notarianni Brothers.
Recent divisional champions
Divisional champions since 2000 are:[1]
| Season | Premier | Division One |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Belford House Reserves | Voyager Foods |
| 2001-02 | Hendon Grange | Nissan Reserves |
| 2002-03 | Gate | Mountain Daisy |
| 2003-04 | Hendon Grange | The Dolphin |
| 2004-05 | TWR Trade Frames | The Cauld Lad |
| 2005-06 | TWR Trade Frames | The Dagmar |
| 2006-07 | The Dagmar | Sportsmans Arms |
| 2007-08 | Redhouse | Fulwood Blue Bell |
| 2008-09 | Jolly Potter | Hylton Colliery Welfare |
| 2009-10 | Jolly Potter | Washington Cricket |
| 2010-11 | Sunderland West End | Sunderland Thorney Close Inn |
| 2011-12 | Sunderland Farringdon Dolphin | Wearside Wildcats |
| 2012-13 | Sunderland Hendon | Sunderland Blue Stone Construction |
| 2013-14 | Sunderland Hendon | |
| 2014-15 | Sunderland Hendon
ClosureIn February 2015 following an emergency meeting of clubs, after the resignation of Cheers left only nine clubs in the league, three unnamed clubs stated their intention to fold at the end of the season. The remaining six clubs unanimously voted to seek a merger with the Wearside Football League and join the new Wearside League Development Division. [2] References
External links |