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Founded in 1889 as the Birmingham and District
League with a membership of twelve clubs, Kidderminster
Olympic romped home but as all the fixtures were not
completed, the championship was declared void. This
remarkable event happended in the following two seasons
until, finally, in 1892/93 Wolverhampton Wanderers Reserves
became the first ever champions.
Having set the pattern, the league was, to all intents and
purposes, dominated by the reserve sides of the Midland
Football League clubs for a number of years but that did not
stop Old Hill Wanderers and Hereford Thistle from winning
the occasional title. A sign of the domination of the league
clubs is shown in the fact that from 1897 to 1910, the
Championship was shared by Aston Villa Reserves (9), Wolves
Reserves (3), and West Bromwich Albion Reserves (1).
By now the League clubs presence included the first team
from Bristol (Eastville Rovers), Crewe Alexandra, Shrewsbury
Town, Wrexham (Singers), Coventry City, and Stoke City.
Among the sides who were later to become household
non-league names were Stourbridge, WELLINGTON Town, the
sadly defunct Brierley Hill Alliance, Stafford Rangers and
Kidderminster Harriers.
Worcester City were the last non-Reserve team to win the
title before the Great War closed football down until 1919.
After the war, soccer resumed but in 1921 all of the
Football League Reserve clubs, with the exception of
Coventry City, left to join the Central League and even they
followed a season later.
Of the twenty competitions between the two World Wars,
Cradley Heath, WELLINGTON Town, and Worcester won the title
on three occasions, Kidderminster and Wrexham Reserves two
each and the other sides to win were WBA Reserves, Bristol
Rovers Reserves, Burton Town, Shrewsbury Town, Stafford
Rangers, Stourbridge, and Willenhall.
Unlike the Great War, some football was played during the
Second World War but only up to 1941
The first post-war season kicked off in 1946 and Halesowen
Town ended up as the winners of a ten team competition that
included two Football League Club 'A' teams, five reserve
teams from the Southern League clubs plus Kettering Town and
Oswestry Town.
These were the golden years of English football with the
soldiers returning from the War boosting attendance's to
record levels. For instance, Birmingham Senior Cup Finals
drew crowds in excess of 12,000.
At the end of the 1947/48 season, the top two sides,
Kettering and Kidderminster left to join the Southern
League. Soon the old Birmingham Combination started to
disintegrate and by 1954 had been swallowed up by the
Football League who created the North & South Divisions to
cope with the 40 clubs. The following season saw the
creation of Divisions one & Two but almost immediately teams
began to fall by the wayside; Bloxwich Strollers and Leek
Town were two.
More reorganisation followed in 1960 when the 'A' and
Reserve teams from the league clubs were removed and the
league were left with a top division of 24 clubs, a true
'Town's league.
The name of the League was changed to it's present title
(The West Midlands Regional League) in 1962/63 and the first
champions were Lockheed Leamington who retained their title
the following season.
1965 saw the formation of the Premier and First Divisions
and the competition was enlarged in 1977 by the introduction
of a Second Division. By 1969 the league were operating with
62 clubs, a number that has remained reasonably constant up
until 1993.
The proposal of a Northern Premier and a new Midlands
Premier League, to rival the Southern Premier League had
been discussed in 1967, which with certain key FA figures in
attendance witnessed the Northern Premier League receiving
the green light ready for the start of the 1968/69 season.
However just one un-cast vote mean that the dream of a new
Midlands Premier Division was shelved for what is now more
than 35 years.
In 1994/95 The Midland Alliance was formed from clubs of
both the West Midlands (Regional) League and The Midland
Combination, with a view that this would lead to the future
creation of a MIdlands Premier Division.
Despite this loss of ten Premier Division Clubs, the League
continues to run to date with Three Divisions with clubs
joining the league from The Shropshire County League and The
Kidderminster District League.
There is no doubt that the league has proved to be a
breeding ground for some of the top non-league clubs in the
Midlands area particularly if you look at the clubs now
playing in more senior leagues. We have already mentioned
Kettering and Kidderminster and further examples spring
readily to mind such as Boston United, Redditch, Hinckley
Athletic, & Hinckley Town,Tamworth,Bromsgrove, Hednesford,
Ilkeston Town ,and Halesowen Town ( League Winners
1982/83/84/85, and FA Vase winners 1984/85 & 1985/86. |
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