The Central Midlands Alliance is an English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
league covering the northeast-central part of England. Formed in 1971 as the South Derbyshire League, changing name initially to the Derbyshire League before changing to the Central Midlands League in 1983, it covers parts of
Derbyshire,
Lincolnshire,
Nottinghamshire,
South Yorkshire and
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, although
Sheffield-based teams play in the
Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior Football League
The Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior Football League is an English football league that was founded in 1983 by the merger of the former Sheffield Association League and Hatchard League. The league has three divisions – the Premier Divis ...
. The league's current sponsor is Abacus Lighting. Upon merging with the Midland Regional Alliance in 2023, the current name was adopted. The number of divisions has varied over time as follows
*1983–84: Premier, Premier First, Senior and First
*1984–85 to 1985–86: Premier, Central, Senior and First
*1986–87 to 1987–88: Supreme, Premier, First and Second
*1988–89 to 1990–91: Supreme, Premier and First
*1991–92: Supreme, Premier North and Premier South
*1992–93 to 2010–11: Supreme and Premier
*2011–12 to 2012-13: North and South
*2012–13 to 2014-15: North, South, Reserve Supreme and Reserve Premier
*2015–16 to 2016-17: North, South, Reserve Division
*2017–18 to 2018-19: North, South, Reserve Supreme and Division One
*2018–19 to 2019-20: North, South, Division One North and South
*2019–20 to 2021-22: North, South, Division One North, South and Central
*2022–23: North, South, Division One North, East and West
*2023–24 onwards: North, South, Division One North, South, East and West and Division 2
Within the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
, the Central Midlands League's top two divisions, called the ''North Division'' and ''South Division'', were considered part of the
National League System
The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association. The National League System has a h ...
(at Step 7) until 2020, when they were redesignated as NLS county feeders. Four clubs from the previously-named Premier Division had the distinction of being the lowest-ranked clubs, and only ones outside the NLS, accepted for the 2006–07
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
. For the 2008–09 season, eight of the leading sides left the Central Midlands League to join forces with eight clubs from the
Leicestershire Senior League to form a new league, the
East Midlands Counties League
The East Midlands Counties Football League was an English football league that operated from 2008 to 2021, covering the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands. The league had one division, which stood a ...
, at Step 6 of the National League System. For the 2015–16 season reserve teams of clubs who play higher up the pyramid were allowed to participate in the league for the first time.
One club per season from the North and South Divisions may be promoted (subject to ground standards and a top five finish) to either the
Northern Counties East League Division One or
United Counties League Division One. Some clubs have progressed from the CML to the
National League North and
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
. A representative side from the league takes part in the
FA Inter-League Cup.
Current members
The member clubs of the league for the 2023–24 season are as follows:
North Division
*AFC Bentley
*
A.F.C. Phoenix
*
Chesterfield Youth
*Dearne and District
*
Dinnington Town
*Doncaster City
*Elite FC
*
Glapwell
Glapwell is a village and civil parish on the A617 road in the Bolsover District of north east Derbyshire, between the towns of Chesterfield (7 miles) and Mansfield (5 miles) and Bolsover (3 miles to the north). With 1,467 residents, increasing ...
*
Harworth Colliery
Harworth Colliery was a colliery near the town of Harworth Bircotes in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, England.
It was abandoned in 2006 due to troubles at the seam. UK Coal, who owned and maintained the mine, were waiting for a contract to make ...
*Hatfield Town
*Kiveton Miners Welfare
*
Retford reserves
*
Rossington Main reserves
*St Josephs Rockware of Worksop
*
Staveley Miners Welfare reserves
*Woodhouse Colts
*
Yorkshire Main
South Division
*AFC Normanton
*
Arnold Town
Arnold Town Football Club is a football club based in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Eagle Valley.
History
Arnold Town was formed in 1989 by a merger of Arnold F.C. and Arnold Kingswell, adopt ...
*Bakewell Town
*Cromford & Wirksworth Town
*Derby Singh Brothers
*
Graham Street Prims
*Holbrook St Michaels
*
Linby Colliery Welfare
*Mansfield Hosiery Mills
*Mayfield
*Melbourne Dynamo
*
Mickleover reserves
*
Mickleover Royal British Legion
*Nottingham FC
*
Pinxton
Pinxton is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire on the eastern boundary of Nottinghamshire, England, just south of the Pinxton Interchange at Junction 28 of the M1 motorway where the A38 road meets the M1. Pinxton is part of the Bolsover ...
*
South Normanton Athletic
*
Teversal
*Wirksworth Ivanhoe
Division One North
*
Appleby Frodingham Reserves
*
Armthorpe Welfare Development
*Bessacarr
*Bottesford Town Development
*Crowle Colts Development
*Dearne & District Development
*
Harworth Colliery
Harworth Colliery was a colliery near the town of Harworth Bircotes in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, England.
It was abandoned in 2006 due to troubles at the seam. UK Coal, who owned and maintained the mine, were waiting for a contract to make ...
Reserves
*
Sheffield FC Development
*Streina FC
*
Worksop Town Reserves
Division One East
*Ashland Rovers
*
Blidworth Welfare
Blidworth Welfare Football Club is a football club based in Blidworth, near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. They are currently members of the .
History
Blidworth Welfare was initially formed in 1926 as Folk House Old Boys FC but changed ...
*
Clipstone Reserves
*Kirton Brickworks
*
Linby Colliery
Linby is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. The nearest town is Hucknall which is immediately to the south-west. The village grew up around the mills on the River Leen, from which Linby's name is derived. Small strea ...
Reserves
*Long Bennington
*
Ollerton Town Development
*Pilsley Community
*RHP Sports & Social
*Shirebrook Rangers
*Sleetmoor United
*
Teversal Reserves
Division One West
*Bakewell Town Development
*Bargate
*
Belper United Reserves
*Cromford & Wirksworth Town reserves
*
Heanor Town Reserves
*
Holbrook Sports
*Holbrook St Michaels Reserves
*Inter Belper
*Kilburn
*Little Eaton
*Mickleover Athletic
*Rowsley 86
Division One South
*Allenton United
*Baobab United
*Burton Hornets
*Burton United
*Castle Donington
*FC Sunnyhill
*Hemington Hammers
*Hilton Harriers
*Punjab United
*
Stapenhill F.C. reserves
Division Two
*Ashland Rovers Reserves
*Ashover
*Aston Village
*Bargate Rovers Reserves
*Castle Donington Reserves
*Little Eaton Reserves
*Markeaton
*Melbourne Dynamo Reserves
*Newhall United CMA
*Sherwin
*Willington United
*Winster Darley Lions
*Wirksworth Ivanhoe Reserves
League champions
League Challenge Cup
The league also runs the Central Midlands League Challenge Cup, which is contested by every club in the league.
Since 2001 every final has been played at
Alfreton Town's
North Street stadium.
Finals
References
External links
North Division current tableat NonLeagueMatters
South division current tableat NonLeagueMatters
Central Midlands League on Mitoo(to 2012–13)
Central Midlands League on FA Full-Time(2013–14 onwards)
{{Football in England table cells
1971 establishments in England
Football leagues in England
Sports leagues established in 1971