# Metropolitan League > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Metropolitan_League > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Metropolitan_League.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_League > Source revision: 1309123511 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Football league Metropolitan League Founded 1949 First season 1949–50 Folded 1971 Country England Divisions One (1949–1963, 1964–1971) Two (1963–1964) Number of clubs Lowest: 9 (1949–50) Highest: 22 (1964–65) Feeder to Southern League Domestic cup FA Cup League cup(s) League Cup Professional Cup Amateur Cup The **Metropolitan League** was a [football](/source/Association_football) league in the [south-east of England](/source/South_East_England) between 1949 and 1971.[1] ## History The league was founded in 1949 after several clubs learnt plans for a second division of the [Southern League](/source/Southern_Football_League) would come to nothing shortly before the start of the season,[2] and was driven by [Dagenham](/source/Dagenham_F.C.) secretary Dave Thake, whose club were disappointed about being placed in the lower division of the [London League](/source/London_League_(football)).[1] It was initially named the Home Counties League, but the name was rejected by [the Football Association](/source/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.[1] 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.[2] 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](/source/Greater_London_League) to form the [Metropolitan–London League](/source/Metropolitan%E2%80%93London_League). This league ceased to exist in 1975 when it merged with the [Spartan League](/source/Spartan_League) to form the London Spartan League,[3] 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](/source/Windsor_%26_Eton_F.C._(1892)), whilst [Vickers Armstrong (Surrey)](/source/British_Aerospace_(Weybridge)_F.C.) won it in 1953–54. Thereafter it was awarded to the amateur team that finished highest in the league.[4] ## Champions Season Champions League Cup winners[5] Professional Cup winners 1949–50 St Neots & District[6] St Neots & District Not held 1950–51 Dagenham Headington United Reserves Not held 1951–52 Horsham Tottenham Hotspur 'A' Tonbridge 1952–53 Tonbridge Reserves Windsor & Eton Tonbridge 1953–54 Headington United Reserves Hastings United Guildford City Reserves 1954–55 Chelsea 'A' Chelsea 'A' Chelsea 'A' 1955–56 Hastings United Reserves Bedford Town Reserves Hastings United Reserves 1956–57 Chelsea 'A' Guildford City Reserves Tonbridge Reserves 1957–58 Chelsea 'A' West Ham United 'A'[7] Chelsea 'A' 1958–59 Arsenal 'A' Crawley Town Chelsea 'A' 1959–60 Luton Town 'A' Eastbourne United & Headington United Reserves (joint) West Ham United 'A' 1960–61 Arsenal 'A' Arsenal 'A' Arsenal 'A' 1961–62 Dartford Reserves Dartford Reserves Arsenal 'A' 1962–63 Arsenal 'A' Bedford Town Reserves Dartford Reserves 1963–64 Charlton Athletic 'A' Tottenham Hotspur 'A' Hastings United Reserves 1964–65 Gillingham Reserves Tottenham Hotspur 'A' St Neots Town[8] 1965–66 Bury Town Arsenal 'A' Bury Town 1966–67 Tottenham Hotspur 'A' Brentwood Town West Ham United 'A' 1967–68 Chelmsford City Reserves Bury Town Chelmsford City Reserves 1968–69 Bury Town Metropolitan Police West Ham United 'A' 1969–70 Wellingborough Town Braintree & Crittall Athletic Stevenage Athletic[9] 1970–71 Epping Town[10] Cray Wanderers Bedford Town Reserves ## Member clubs - [Arsenal 'A'](/source/Arsenal_F.C._Under-23s_and_Academy) - [Ashford Town Reserves](/source/Ashford_United_F.C.) - [Barnet Reserves](/source/Barnet_F.C.) - [Bedford Town Reserves](/source/Bedford_Town_F.C.) - [Bexley United Reserves](/source/Bexley_United_F.C.) - [Bletchley Town](/source/Milton_Keynes_City_F.C.) - [Braintree & Crittall Athletic](/source/Braintree_Town_F.C.) - [Brentwood Town](/source/Brentwood_Town_F.C.) - [Brentwood Town Reserves](/source/Brentwood_Town_F.C.) - [Brighton & Hove Albion ‘A’](/source/Brighton_%26_Hove_Albion_F.C.) - [Bury Town](/source/Bury_Town_F.C.) - [Callender's Athletic](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Callender_Athletic_F.C.&action=edit&redlink=1) - [Cambridge City Reserves](/source/Cambridge_City_Reserves_F.C.) - [Canterbury City](/source/Canterbury_City_F.C.) - [Canterbury City Reserves](/source/Canterbury_City_F.C.) - [Charlton Athletic 'A'](/source/Charlton_Athletic_F.C._Under-23s_and_Academy) - [Chatham Town](/source/Chatham_Town_F.C.) - [Chelmsford City Reserves](/source/Chelmsford_City_F.C.) - [Chelsea ‘A’](/source/Chelsea_F.C._Under-23s_and_Academy) - [Chertsey Town](/source/Chertsey_Town_F.C.) - [Chingford](/source/Chingford_F.C.) - [Chingford Town Reserves](/source/Chingford_Town_F.C.) - [Chipperfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chipperfield_F.C.&action=edit&redlink=1) - [Crawley Town](/source/Crawley_Town_F.C.) - [Crawley Town Reserves](/source/Crawley_Town_F.C.) - [Cray Wanderers](/source/Cray_Wanderers_F.C.) - [Croydon Rovers](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Croydon_Rovers_F.C.&action=edit&redlink=1) - [Dagenham](/source/Dagenham_F.C.) - [Dartford Reserves](/source/Dartford_F.C.) - [Deal Town Reserves](/source/Deal_Town_F.C.) - Dickinson (Apsley) - [Didcot Town](/source/Didcot_Town_F.C.) - [Dover Reserves](/source/Dover_F.C.) - [Dunstable Town](/source/Dunstable_Town_F.C.) - [Dunstable Town Reserves](/source/Dunstable_Town_F.C.) - [Eastbourne United](/source/Eastbourne_United_F.C.) - [Epping Town](/source/Epping_Town_F.C.) - [Folkestone Town Reserves](/source/Folkestone_F.C.) - [Fulham ‘A’](/source/Fulham_F.C.) - [Gillingham Reserves](/source/Gillingham_F.C.) - [Gravesend & Northfleet Reserves](/source/Ebbsfleet_United_F.C.) - [Guildford City Reserves](/source/Guildford_City_F.C.) - Hammersmith United - [Hastings United Reserves](/source/Hastings_United_F.C._(1948)) - [Hatfield Town](/source/Hatfield_Town_F.C.) - [Haywards Heath](/source/Haywards_Heath_Town_F.C.) - [Hillingdon Borough Reserves](/source/Hillingdon_Borough_F.C.) - [Horsham](/source/Horsham_F.C.) - [Hove United](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hove_United_F.C.&action=edit&redlink=1) - [Kettering Town Reserves](/source/Kettering_Town_F.C.) - [Leatherhead](/source/Leatherhead_F.C.) - [Luton Town 'A'](/source/Luton_Town_F.C.) - [Margate Reserves](/source/Margate_F.C.) - [Metropolitan Police](/source/Metropolitan_Police_F.C.) - [Millwall 'A'](/source/Millwall_F.C.) - [Newbury Town](/source/Newbury_Town_F.C.) - [Oxford United 'A'](/source/Oxford_United_F.C.) - [Oxford United Reserves](/source/Oxford_United_F.C.) - [Rainham Town](/source/Rainham_Town_F.C.) - [Ramsgate Athletic Reserves](/source/Ramsgate_F.C.) - [Romford Reserves](/source/Romford_F.C.) - [Sheppey United](/source/Sheppey_United_F.C.) - [Sittingbourne Reserves](/source/Sittingbourne_F.C.) - Skyways - [Southwick](/source/Southwick_F.C.) - [St Neots Town](/source/St_Neots_Town_F.C.) - [Stevenage Athletic](/source/Stevenage_Athletic_F.C.) - [Stevenage Town Reserves](/source/Stevenage_Town_F.C.) - [Tonbridge Reserves](/source/Tonbridge_Angels_F.C.) - [Tottenham Hotspur 'A'](/source/Tottenham_Hotspur_F.C._Under-23s_and_Academy) - [Twickenham](/source/Twickenham_F.C.) - [Vickers Armstrong (Surrey)](/source/British_Aerospace_(Weybridge)_F.C.) - [Wellingborough Town](/source/Wellingborough_Town_F.C.) - [West Ham United 'A'](/source/West_Ham_United_F.C._Under-23s_and_Academy) - [Wimbledon Reserves](/source/Wimbledon_F.C.) - [Windsor & Eton](/source/Windsor_%26_Eton_F.C._(1892)) - [Wokingham Town](/source/Wokingham_Town_F.C.) - [Woodford Town](/source/Woodford_Town_F.C._(1937)) ## See also - [List of Metropolitan League seasons](/source/List_of_Metropolitan_League_seasons) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NLM_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NLM_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-NLM_1-2) [Metropolitan and District League 1949–1971](http://nonleaguematters.co.uk/nlmnet/Regmet/MDL49.html) Non-League Matters 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CW_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CW_2-1) [Cray Wanderers in the Metropolitan League](https://web.archive.org/web/20110928221831/http://www.craywands.co.uk/craymetropolitan.pdf) Cray Wanderers FC 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Bracknell Town](https://www.fchd.info/BRACKNET.HTM) at the *Football Club History Database* 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** *Metropolitan League Handbook 1964/65* 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** *Metropolitan League Handbook 1968/69* 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [St Neots & District](https://www.fchd.info/ST-NEOTD.HTM) at the *Football Club History Database* 1. **[^](#cite_ref-MB_7-0)** Blakeman, M (2010) *The Official History of the Eastern Counties Football League 1935–2010, Volume II* [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-908037-02-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-908037-02-2) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Awards](https://web.archive.org/web/20110716150417/http://www.stneotsfc.com/club/awards) St Neots Town FC 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Barton, Bob (1983). *Non League – A History of League and Cup Football*. Bob Barton. p. 185. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0950894109](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0950894109). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Epping Town](https://www.fchd.info/EPPINGT.HTM) at the *Football Club History Database* v t e Spartan South Midlands League 2025–26 clubs Premier Division AFC Welwyn Arlesey Town Aylesbury Vale Dynamos Baldock Town Biggleswade United Cockfosters Colney Heath Crawley Green Dunstable Town Haringey Borough Harlow Town Harpenden Town Kempston Rovers Kings Langley Potton United Risborough Rangers Sawbridgeworth Town Tring Athletic Winslow United Wormley Rovers Division One Ampthill Town Belstone Buckingham Cranfield United Desborough Town Eaton Socon Everett Rovers Huntingdon Town Irchester United Langford Leighton Town Reserves Letchworth Garden City Eagles London Colney Long Buckby New Bradwell St Peter Rothwell Corinthians Royston Town Under-23 Rushden & Higham United Shefford Town & Campton Stotfold Reserves Wellingborough Whitworth Division Two Aston Clinton Bovingdon Caddington Codicote Eynesbury United Harpenden Town Development Milton Keynes College Milton Keynes Irish reserves Newport Pagnell Town reserves Old Bradwell United Padbury Village Pitstone & Ivinghoe Sarratt Stony Stratford Town The 61 Totternhoe Tring Corinthians Seasons 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 Predecessor leagues Aetolian League Greater London League London League Metropolitan League Metropolitan–London League South Midlands League Spartan League --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Metropolitan League](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_League) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_League?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.