{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{EngvarB|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox football league | name = Metropolitan League | image = | pixels = | country = {{ENG}} | confed = | founded = 1949 | first = [[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1949–50|1949–50]] | folded = 1971 | divisions = One (1949–1963, 1964–1971)<br>Two (1963–1964) | teams = Lowest: 9 ([[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1949–50|1949–50]])<br>Highest: 22 ([[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1964–65|1964–65]]) | feeds = [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] | promotion = | relegation = | levels = | domest_cup = [[FA Cup]] | league_cup = League Cup<br>Professional Cup<br>Amateur Cup
| confed_cup = | champions = | season = | most_champs = | most_caps = | top_goalscorer = | tv = | website = }}
The '''Metropolitan League''' was a [[association football|football]] league in the [[south East England|south-east of England]] between 1949 and 1971.<ref name=NLM>[http://nonleaguematters.co.uk/nlmnet/Regmet/MDL49.html Metropolitan and District League 1949–1971] Non-League Matters</ref>
==History== The league was founded in 1949 after several clubs learnt plans for a second division of the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] would come to nothing shortly before the start of the season,<ref name=CW>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928221831/http://www.craywands.co.uk/craymetropolitan.pdf Cray Wanderers in the Metropolitan League] Cray Wanderers FC</ref> and was driven by [[Dagenham F.C.|Dagenham]] secretary Dave Thake, whose club were disappointed about being placed in the lower division of the [[London League (football)|London League]].<ref name=NLM/> It was initially named the Home Counties League, but the name was rejected by [[the Football Association]] as the name was already in use. By the end of the league's inaugural season it had become known as the Metropolitan & District League, before being renamed the Metropolitan League in 1959.<ref name=NLM/> The league started with ten clubs and was largely composed of professional clubs or their reserve or youth teams, and was frequently described as an unofficial lower division of the Southern League.<ref name=CW/> The league added a second division in 1963, but it ran for only a single season, which saw Gillingham Reserves win the title.
However, with the league reduced to only 12 clubs in 1970–71 and several of those about to leave to join the Southern League at the end of the season, the league merged with the [[Greater London League]] to form the [[Metropolitan–London League]]. This league ceased to exist in 1975 when it merged with the [[Spartan League]] to form the London Spartan League,<ref>{{fchd|id=BRACKNET|name=Bracknell Town}}</ref> which re-adopted the name Spartan League in 1987.
For three seasons an Amateur Cup was contested between the league's amateur teams; in 1951–52 and 1952–53 it was won by [[Windsor & Eton F.C. (1892)|Windsor & Eton]], whilst [[British Aerospace (Weybridge) F.C.|Vickers Armstrong (Surrey)]] won it in 1953–54. Thereafter it was awarded to the amateur team that finished highest in the league.<ref>''Metropolitan League Handbook 1964/65''</ref>
==Champions== {| class=wikitable !Season !Champions !League Cup winners<ref>''Metropolitan League Handbook 1968/69''</ref> !Professional Cup winners |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1949–50|1949–50]]||[[St Neots Town F.C.|St Neots & District]]<ref>{{fchd|id=ST-NEOTD|name=St Neots & District}}</ref>||[[St Neots Town F.C.|St Neots & District]]||Not held |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1950–51|1950–51]]||[[Dagenham F.C.|Dagenham]]||[[Oxford United F.C.|Headington United Reserves]]||Not held |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1951–52|1951–52]]||[[Horsham F.C.|Horsham]]||[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Tottenham Hotspur 'A']]||[[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1952–53|1952–53]]||[[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Reserves]]||[[Windsor & Eton F.C. (1892)|Windsor & Eton]]||[[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1953–54|1953–54]]||[[Oxford United F.C.|Headington United Reserves]]||[[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United]]||[[Guildford City F.C.|Guildford City Reserves]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1954–55|1954–55]]||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']]||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']]||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1955–56|1955–56]]||[[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United Reserves]]||[[Bedford Town F.C.|Bedford Town Reserves]]||[[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United Reserves]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1956–57|1956–57]]||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']]||[[Guildford City F.C.|Guildford City Reserves]]||[[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Reserves]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1957–58|1957–58]]||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']]||[[West Ham United F.C. Reserves and Academy|West Ham United 'A']]<ref name=MB>Blakeman, M (2010) ''The Official History of the Eastern Counties Football League 1935–2010, Volume II'' {{ISBN|978-1-908037-02-2}}</ref>||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1958–59|1958–59]]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']]||[[Crawley Town F.C.|Crawley Town]]||[[Chelsea F.C. Reserves and Academy|Chelsea 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1959–60|1959–60]]||[[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town 'A']]||[[Eastbourne United Association F.C.|Eastbourne United]] & [[Oxford United F.C.|Headington United Reserves]] (joint)||[[West Ham United F.C. Reserves and Academy|West Ham United 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1960–61|1960–61]]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1961–62|1961–62]]||[[Dartford F.C.|Dartford Reserves]]||[[Dartford F.C.|Dartford Reserves]]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1962–63|1962–63]]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']]||[[Bedford Town F.C.|Bedford Town Reserves]]||[[Dartford F.C.|Dartford Reserves]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1963–64|1963–64]]||[[Charlton Athletic F.C. Reserves|Charlton Athletic 'A']]||[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Reserves and Academy|Tottenham Hotspur 'A']]||[[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United Reserves]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1964–65|1964–65]]||[[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham Reserves]]||[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Reserves and Academy|Tottenham Hotspur 'A']]||[[St Neots Town F.C.|St Neots Town]]<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716150417/http://www.stneotsfc.com/club/awards Awards]}} St Neots Town FC</ref> |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1965–66|1965–66]]||[[Bury Town F.C.|Bury Town]]||[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']]||[[Bury Town F.C.|Bury Town]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1966–67|1966–67]]||[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Reserves and Academy|Tottenham Hotspur 'A']]||[[Brentwood Town F.C.|Brentwood Town]]||[[West Ham United F.C. Reserves and Academy|West Ham United 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1967–68|1967–68]]||[[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City Reserves]]||[[Bury Town F.C.|Bury Town]]||[[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City Reserves]] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1968–69|1968–69]]||[[Bury Town F.C.|Bury Town]]||[[Metropolitan Police F.C.|Metropolitan Police]]||[[West Ham United F.C. Reserves and Academy|West Ham United 'A']] |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1969–70|1969–70]]||[[Wellingborough Town F.C.|Wellingborough Town]]||[[Braintree Town F.C.|Braintree & Crittall Athletic]]||[[Stevenage Athletic F.C.|Stevenage Athletic]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Non League – A History of League and Cup Football|last=Barton|first=Bob|publisher=Bob Barton|year=1983|isbn=0950894109|pages=185}}</ref> |- |[[List of Metropolitan League seasons#1970–71|1970–71]]||[[Epping Town F.C.|Epping Town]]<ref>{{fchd|id=EPPINGT|name=Epping Town}}</ref>||[[Cray Wanderers F.C.|Cray Wanderers]]||[[Bedford Town F.C.|Bedford Town Reserves]] |}
==Member clubs== {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *[[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal 'A']] *[[Ashford United F.C.|Ashford Town Reserves]] *[[Barnet F.C.|Barnet Reserves]] *[[Bedford Town F.C.|Bedford Town Reserves]] *[[Bexley United F.C.|Bexley United Reserves]] *[[Milton Keynes City F.C.|Bletchley Town]] *[[Braintree Town F.C.|Braintree & Crittall Athletic]] *[[Brentwood Town F.C.|Brentwood Town]] *[[Brentwood Town F.C.|Brentwood Town Reserves]] *[[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion ‘A’]] *[[Bury Town F.C.|Bury Town]] *[[Callender Athletic F.C.|Callender's Athletic]] *[[Cambridge City Reserves F.C.|Cambridge City Reserves]] *[[Canterbury City F.C.|Canterbury City]] *[[Canterbury City F.C.|Canterbury City Reserves]] *[[Charlton Athletic F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Charlton Athletic 'A']] *[[Chatham Town F.C.|Chatham Town]] *[[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City Reserves]] *[[Chelsea F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Chelsea ‘A’]] *[[Chertsey Town F.C.|Chertsey Town]] *[[Chingford F.C.|Chingford]] *[[Chingford Town F.C.|Chingford Town Reserves]] *[[Chipperfield F.C.|Chipperfield]] *[[Crawley Town F.C.|Crawley Town]] *[[Crawley Town F.C.|Crawley Town Reserves]] *[[Cray Wanderers F.C.|Cray Wanderers]] *[[Croydon Rovers F.C.|Croydon Rovers]] *[[Dagenham F.C.|Dagenham]] *[[Dartford F.C.|Dartford Reserves]] *[[Deal Town F.C.|Deal Town Reserves]] *Dickinson (Apsley) *[[Didcot Town F.C.|Didcot Town]] *[[Dover F.C.|Dover Reserves]] *[[Dunstable Town F.C.|Dunstable Town]] *[[Dunstable Town F.C.|Dunstable Town Reserves]] *[[Eastbourne United F.C.|Eastbourne United]] *[[Epping Town F.C.|Epping Town]] *[[Folkestone F.C.|Folkestone Town Reserves]] *[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham ‘A’]] *[[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham Reserves]] *[[Ebbsfleet United F.C.|Gravesend & Northfleet Reserves]] *[[Guildford City F.C.|Guildford City Reserves]] *Hammersmith United *[[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United Reserves]] *[[Hatfield Town F.C.|Hatfield Town]] *[[Haywards Heath Town F.C.|Haywards Heath]] *[[Hillingdon Borough F.C.|Hillingdon Borough Reserves]] *[[Horsham F.C.|Horsham]] *[[Hove United F.C.|Hove United]] *[[Kettering Town F.C.|Kettering Town Reserves]] *[[Leatherhead F.C.|Leatherhead]] *[[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town 'A']] *[[Margate F.C.|Margate Reserves]] *[[Metropolitan Police F.C.|Metropolitan Police]] *[[Millwall F.C.|Millwall 'A']] *[[Newbury Town F.C.|Newbury Town]] *[[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United 'A']] *[[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United Reserves]] *[[Rainham Town F.C.|Rainham Town]] *[[Ramsgate F.C.|Ramsgate Athletic Reserves]] *[[Romford F.C.|Romford Reserves]] *[[Sheppey United F.C.|Sheppey United]] *[[Sittingbourne F.C.|Sittingbourne Reserves]] *Skyways *[[Southwick F.C.|Southwick]] *[[St Neots Town F.C.|St Neots Town]] *[[Stevenage Athletic F.C.|Stevenage Athletic]] *[[Stevenage Town F.C.|Stevenage Town Reserves]] *[[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Reserves]] *[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Tottenham Hotspur 'A']] *[[Twickenham F.C.|Twickenham]] *[[British Aerospace (Weybridge) F.C.|Vickers Armstrong (Surrey)]] *[[Wellingborough Town F.C.|Wellingborough Town]] *[[West Ham United F.C. Under-23s and Academy|West Ham United 'A']] *[[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon Reserves]] *[[Windsor & Eton F.C. (1892)|Windsor & Eton]] *[[Wokingham Town F.C.|Wokingham Town]] *[[Woodford Town F.C. (1937)|Woodford Town]] {{col div end}}
==See also== *[[List of Metropolitan League seasons]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Spartan South Midlands League}}
[[Category:Metropolitan League| ]] [[Category:Defunct football leagues in England]] [[Category:1949 establishments in England]] [[Category:Spartan South Midlands Football League| Metropolitan]]