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Midland Football Combination

Founded	1927
Folded	2014
Country	England
Divisions	3 (not including Reserve Divisions)
Level on pyramid	Levels 10–12
Feeder to	Midland Football Alliance
League cup(s)	President's Cup Challenge Vase Challenge Urn Challenge Trophy Jack Mould Trophy Challenge Bowl
Last champions	Brocton (2013–14)
Most championships	Evesham United (6)

The Midland Football Combination was an English football league covering parts of the West Midlands. It comprised five divisions, a Premier Division, Divisions One and Two and two Reserves Divisions. The league was one of three official feeder leagues to the Midland Football Alliance.

Prior to 2006, the Premier Division was defined as step 7 in the National League System, even though it fed into the step 5 Midland Alliance. In 2006, it was re-graded as step 6, making teams in the top two divisions eligible to take part in the FA Vase and teams in the top division eligible to enter the FA Cup. The league merged with the Midland Football Alliance in 2014 to form the new Midland Football League.

History

The league was founded in 1927 as the Worcestershire Combination. The ten founder members were Oldbury Town, Stourbridge Reserves, Kidderminster Harriers Reserves, Bewdley, Blackheath Town, Halesowen Labour, Highley Colliers, Old Carolians, Stewart & Lloyds (Bilston) and Cookley St Peters. By the 1929–30 season four of the founding clubs had dropped out and the league had been reduced to just six teams, with the result that it held two separate competitions within the one season to bulk out the fixture list, but it then gained eight new teams and continued to expand.

The league changed its name to the Midland Combination in 1968 to reflect the drawing of clubs from a wider area.

In the 2007–08 season, the league's representative team, drawn from clubs in Division One, reached the final of the FA National League System Cup.

League champions

Worcestershire Combination

Initially the league consisted of a single division

Due to the number of teams having dropped dramatically, the 1929–30 season consisted of two separate "half-season" leagues.

For the 1930–31 the league reverted to its standard format.

The league closed down in 1939 due to the outbreak of the Second World War and did not begin again until 1948.

For the 1960–61 season the league added a second division, with the existing division renamed Division One.

Midland Combination

For the 1979–80 season a third division was added.

For the 1983–84 season the divisions were renamed to Premier, One and Two.

For the 1993–94 season Division Three was added.

For the 2011–12 season Division Three was disbanded.

Final members

The teams that competed in the Combination's first team divisions in the 2013–14 season were as follows:

Premier Division

• Alvis Sporting Club
• Atherstone Town
• Blackwood
• Bolehall Swifts
• Brocton
• Bromsgrove Sporting
• Castle Vale JKS – record expunged
• Coventry Copsewood
• Earlswood Town
• Lichfield City
• Littleton
• Nuneaton Griff
• Pelsall Villa
• Pershore Town
• Pilkington XXX
• Racing Club Warwick
• Southam United
• Stafford Town
• Studley

Division One

• Aston
• Barnt Green Spartak
• Cadbury Athletic
• Chelmsley Town
• Coton Green
• Droitwich Spa
• Fairfield Villa
• Feckenham
• FC Glades Sporting
• Hampton
• Knowle
• Phoenix United
• Shirley Town
• Sutton United
• West Midlands Police

Division Two

• Alcester Town
• Austrey Rangers
• Badsey Rangers
• Barton United
• Burntwood Town
• Coventry United
• Enville Athletic
• FC Stratford
• Inkberrow
• Kenilworth Town
• Leamington Hibernian
• Northfield Town
• Paget Rangers
• Perrywood
• Polesworth
• Rostance Edwards
• Rugeley Rangers – record expunged

Cup competitions

Each division other than the Premier had its own knockout competition, Division One competing for the President's Cup, Division Two for the Challenge Vase, Division Three for the Challenge Urn, and the Reserve Division for the Challenge Trophy. There were also other cup competitions run by the Midland Football Combination for its members including the Jack Mould Trophy and the Challenge Bowl.

References

1. The FA
2. The FA
3. Dudley Town at the Football Club History Database
4. The FA
5. ^ Robinson, Michael (2007). Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. Soccerdata. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-86223-162-7.
6. ^ Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 81–85.
7. ^ Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 85–91.
8. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 91–93.
9. ^ Midland Football Combination at the Football Club History Database
10. Studley Sporting at the Football Club History Database
11. Mile Oak Rovers at the Football Club History Database
12. ^ Boldmere St Michaels at the Football Club History Database
13. Stratford Town at the Football Club History Database
14. Racing Club Warwick at the Football Club History Database
15. West Midlands Police at the Football Club History Database
16. Evesham United at the Football Club History Database
17. Armitage 90 at the Football Club History Database
18. Pershore Town at the Football Club History Database
19. Northfield Town at the Football Club History Database
20. Bloxwich Town at the Football Club History Database
21. Kings Norton Town at the Football Club History Database
22. Worcester Athletico at the Football Club History Database
23. Alveston at the Football Club History Database
24. ^ Nuneaton Griff at the Football Club History Database
25. Grosvenor Park at the Football Club History Database
26. Alvechurch at the Football Club History Database
27. Romulus at the Football Club History Database
28. Leamington at the Football Club History Database
29. Atherstone Town at the Football Club History Database
30. Coventry Sphinx at the Football Club History Database
31. Official website

• Midland Football Combination
• 1927 establishments in England
• Football in the West Midlands (county)
• Defunct football leagues in England
• Sports leagues established in 1927