THE FIRST LEAGUES

1888, Queen Victoria was still Queen of Great Britain and Empress of an India on which the sun was still rising. WG GRace captained England's cricket team for the first time at the age of 40, John L. ullivan was the last bare-knuckled heavyweight champion of the World and Winston Churchill was an unhappy schoolboy at Harrow School.

William McGregor of Perthshire, Scotland, was the founder of the Football League. He moved to Birmingham and opened a shop near Villa Park. McGregor joined AVFC and the face of football changed for ever.

Although the Public Schools, Universities and Officers' Messes had helped formulated the laws (1863), had formed a successful FA Cup (1872), created international matches and professionalism had been organised, other friendly matches could be called off at short notice, clubs with hefty wage bills might be left "adrift" with no income, there was  no regular fixture card. There was chaos.

McGregor wrote a now famous letter to Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Preston NE, WBA and Aston Villa (his club!) encouragng them and some other clubs to gather together and establish a league of twelve clubs playing home and away fixtures. Professional was allowed on July 20th 1885.

On March 22nd 1888 at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, London and then again on April 17th at the Royal Hotel, Manchester, battle lines were agreed. A Blue Plaque is sited on the building.

Preston NE, Blackburn R, Bolton W. Everton, Burnley, Accrington from the north and Midlanders, Aston V, WBA, Wolves, Notts County, Derby C and Stoke (later Stoke City) provided another six clubs with no invitations going further south because there was no professionalism south of Birmingham. McGregor was appointed President. Using established rules, the clubs were obliged to fulfil all fixtures. It was on September 8th 1888 that the new Football League kicked off. The name was the idea of Major Willaim Sudell of Preston NE and first league goal was scored by Jack Gordon of Preston NE (below), whose club won the first League competition, without losing a match. Aston Villa were runners up and Stoke City came bottom.

In April 1888, a rival league came into existence, named the Football Combination. Those involved were disgruntled by the earlier formation of the Football League, which was not regarded as representative of English football. Founding members were:
Blackburn Olympic, Bootle, Burslem Port Vale, Crewe Alexandra, Darwen, Derby Midland, Grinsby Town, Haliwell, Leek, Lincoln City, Long Eaton Rangers, Notts Rangers, Newton Heath (later Man Utd) Northwich Victoria, Small Heath Alliance (Birmingham City), Wallsall Town Swifts and Witton. They agreed to arrange fixtures between clubs and not centrally...unsurprisingly it didn't work. The Combination folded before the end of the first season. It later became the Football Alliance (1889) which lasted 3 years and was absorbed by the Football League as a Second Division in 1892.

In 1889,  the Northern League (the second oldest League) based in the north-east, absorbed the clubs not invited previously. Clubs were:
Darlington St Augustines won the first season; Middlesbrough Ironopolis then dominated the competition and even moved up to the Football League for one season before resigning. Other clubs winning the Northern League were: Middlesbrough, Darlington, Stockton, Bishop Auckland and Newcastle United.

Southern clubs eventually accepted the "modern state of the game" by forming the Southern League in 1895.