The Staffordshire County League (South) was 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 that existed from 1892 until 1996 and catered for clubs in the

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of the West Midlands county, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south. It contains notable settlements ...

area. It was also known at various times as the Walsall & District Junior League, Walsall & District League, and Walsall Senior League.

History

The league was formed as the Walsall & District Junior League in May 1892 following a meeting of representatives of various local clubs at the People's Coffee House in

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

. The nine founder members were Bloxwich Strollers, Brownhills Albion, Cannock Town, Cotterill's (Darlaston), Lichfield Leomansley, Tettenhall Wood, Walsall Rangers, Wolverhampton Presbyterians and Wolverhampton St Chad's, but Lichfield Leomansley and Walsall Rangers withdrew during the 1892–93 season and their playing records were removed. Brownhills Albion won the inaugural championship, losing only one of their twelve matches.Robinson, p.134 In 1897 the league dropped the word "Junior" from its title, as its member clubs were felt to be of a higher standard than the name suggested. A new Walsall & District Junior League was formed the following year for lesser clubs. As with many other leagues in this era, clubs left the league and new clubs joined almost every season, with the league fluctuating in size every year. In 1908 a Second Division was added, but it lasted for only one season. The league then began to decline in size until in the 1913–14 season only five teams competed, and one of those resigned after only three matches. After that season, the league shut down for the duration of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Robinson, p.137 The league resumed in 1920 with 15 member clubs, including the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

s of a number of more senior clubs, and a year later was renamed the Walsall Senior League. Following the 1922–23 season, however, a number of clubs resigned to join the

Birmingham Combination The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The ...

and the league closed down once again, owing to insufficient numbers. It resumed play in 1930, once again as the Walsall & District League, but once again gradually declined in size, as clubs found it hard to continue during the difficult economic conditions of the 1930s. The league once again shut down during the Second World War.Robinson, p.138 After the war the league once again adopted the Walsall Senior League name, but in 1950 adopted its final name of the Staffordshire County League (South). In the early 1950s the competition was dominated by Shelfield Athletic, who won the league for five consecutive seasons.Robinson, p.141 A Second Division was again added in 1956, but once again it only lasted for one season.

Champions

;Walsall & District Junior League ;Walsall & District League Division Two was added in 1908. Division Two was abandoned after one season. The League was inactive between 1914 and 1920. ;Walsall Senior League The League was inactive between 1923 and 1930. ;Walsall & District League The League was inactive from 1939 until 1945 ;Walsall Senior League ;Staffordshire County League (South) Division Two was added in 1956. Division Two was abandoned after one season. Division Two was added in 1964. Division Two was abandoned after one season. Division Two was added in 1969. In 1974 Division One was renamed the Premier Division and Division Two was renamed Division One. The League was reduced to a single division in 1993. The League folded in 1996.

References

General * Specific {{reflist Defunct football leagues in England Football in Staffordshire 1892 establishments in England 1996 disestablishments in England Sports leagues established in 1892 Sports leagues disestablished in 1996