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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