The Midland Football League was an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

league tournament in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

that was contested in three different periods. The first incarnation of the tournament was founded in 1891 and ran until 1897 when most of the member clubs left to join the Central Football Combination. In 1903, it was reformed for a single season and again in 1908 for three seasons but was largely unfinished. All the teams that competed in the league were based in the Midlands of Scotland.

Original (1891–1897)

The original Midland Football League was established in 1891 and was contested by teams from the Midlands of Scotland.Midland Football League First version 1891-1897
, Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2013. At a meeting in April 1891 in Larbert of representatives from eight football clubs there was a discussion about forming a new league. A month later an official meeting was held in Alloa and the Midland Football League was founded. There were ten clubs that competed in the inaugural season:

Alloa Athletic Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a ...

, Alva, Bridge of Allan,

Camelon Camelon (; sco, Caimlan, gd, Camlann)
is a large set ...

, Clackmannan, Cowdenbeath, Dunblane, Dunfermline Athletic,

Grangemouth Grangemouth ( sco, Grangemooth; gd, Inbhir Ghrainnse, ) is a town in the Falkirk council area, Scotland. Historically part of the county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk ...

and Raith Rovers. The original Midland Football League ran for seven seasons with membership frequently changing from season to season.

Reform attempts

1903–04

The Midland Football League was reformed in 1903, six years after the original competition folded in 1897. Ten clubs met in Glasgow and reformed the tournament but it lasted for only one season after six of the clubs left to reform the Eastern League. The competition was won by Bo'ness.Midland Football League Second version 1903-04
Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

1908–11

An attempt was made to reform the league for a second time in 1908 with seven clubs. It ran successfully for one season with Falkirk 'A' winning the league but three clubs left, Bo'ness, Broxburn Athletic and

Stenhousemuir Stenhousemuir (; gd, Featha Thaigh nan Clach) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies within the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town is north-northwest of Falkirk and directly adjoins to Larbert in ...

, to help form the

Central Football League There have been at least three competitions in Scotland known as the Central Football League The first was originally formed in 1896 by five clubs - Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, Fair City Athletic, Kirkcaldy and St Johnstone. In 1897 this v ...

in 1909. For the next two seasons the competition was largely unfinished with a backlog of outstanding fixtures and was eventually cancelled at the end of the 1910–11 season.Midland Football League Third version 1908-1911
Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

Winners

References

{{Defunct football competitions in Scotland Defunct football leagues in Scotland