The Manchester Football League is a
football league in England, affiliated with
Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from
Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. Currently it consists of five divisions, with the Premier division being at level 11 of the
English football league system.
Structure
The League consists of five divisions, from Premier Division to Division four. The Premier Division, Division One and Division Two can incorporate both first teams, and reserve teams of clubs who are playing at a higher level, while Divisions Three and Four usually consist entirely of reserve or lower teams.
However, for the 2018–19 season only, the constitution was amended to allow a small number of reserve teams into the bottom division of the first teams (Division Two) to even up the numbers. This was put in place in the hope of keeping all teams playing regularly as opposed to the old structure which meant teams could go without a fixture for a few weeks at a time.
The Premier Division has a
promotion and relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...
arrangement with the
North West Counties Football League (NWCFL), placing it at level 11 of the
English football league system. However, the NWCFL's ground requirements are considerably higher than those of the Manchester League, so meeting them usually requires expensive improvements, and consequently few teams take up the opportunity of promotion.
Ashton Athletic took the step up in 2006, despite only finishing 4th in Division One. Teams such as
Salford City,
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest a ...
and
Northern Nomads have all played in the league at some point. The latest teams to make the step up were
Prestwich Heys, Avro and most recently Stockport Georgians.
Teams from the Premier Division are relegated to Division One, making Division One the twelfth level of the English league system. However, first teams from Division One could be relegated to Division Two after the realignment of the league structure at the start of the 2017–18 season.
Following the introduction of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) national lockdown restrictions in March 2020, the 2019/20 season was unable to be completed and was therefore declared null and void. The following season suffered the same outcome with only around a third of fixtures being completed.
Current member clubs (2022–23)
Premier Division
*Atherton Town
*Bolton County
*Chadderton Reserves
*Dukinfield Town
*Heyside
*Heywood St James
*Hindsford
*Manchester Gregorians
*Moorside Rangers
*Old Altrinchamians
*Pennington
*Rochdale Sacred Heart
*Royton Town
*Springhead
*Uppermill
*Walshaw Sports
Division One
*Altrincham Hale
*Avenue
*Avro Reserves
*Bolton Borough
*
Bolton Lads & Girls Club
*Bolton United
*Boothstown
*East Manchester
*Elton Vale
*Govan Athletic
*Hindley Juniors
*Manchester Central
*Tintwistle Athletic
*Wilmslow Albion
Division Two
*Ashton Athletic Reserves
*Astley & Tyldesley
*Baguley Athletic
*Breightmet United
*Cavaliers
*Chadderton Cott
*De La Salle
*Eccles United
*Hollinwood
*Horwich RMI
*
Leigh Genesis
*Stockport Georgians Reserves
*Tottington United
Recent champions of Premier Division, Division One & Division Two
External links
*
*
*
Manchester Football Leagueat FA Full-Time
{{Football in England table cells
1893 establishments in England
Football in Greater Manchester
Football leagues in England
Sports leagues established in 1893