The Football Combination


The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League.

History

The Combination was inaugurated in 1915 with twelve founder members: Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Clapton Orient, Croydon Common, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and West Ham United. First team matches were played until 1919, from when Reserve teams took over. Croydon Common and Watford dropped out and were replaced with Charlton Athletic and Southend United.
Up to 1926 it was known as the London Combination, but from 1926/27 season ten clubs from outside the London area were admitted and the name became something of a misnomer. The new clubs were: Brighton and Hove Albion, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Leicester City, Luton Town, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea Town and Watford.
From the early 1930s to the outbreak of the Second World War, 24 clubs were in membership, with Aldershot, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Bristol City, Northampton Town, Norwich City and Swindon Town joining at various times and others resigning. Following the resumption post-war in 1946, the number of clubs was increased to 32, the title changed to Football Combination and it was re-organised into two Sections A and B, with the winners playing-off for the Championship. A Combination Cup was also inaugurated to increase the number of fixtures played.
A number of changes to the constitution took place in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1952/53 promotion and relegation were introduced, as the Combination was split into two Divisions, 1 and 2, with the top eight from Sections A and B of the previous season forming Division 1, and the bottom eight in each forming Division 2. This was short-lived and in 1955/56 a new format of one Division of 32 clubs was introduced, with teams playing 42 matches on a geographical basis. The Combination Cup was discontinued.
Promotion and relegation returned for 1958/59 in two Divisions, based on the level of the first team of each club in the Football League, i.e. the top two Divisions of the Football League played in Division 1 of the Combination, and Division 3 and 4 teams were placed in Division 2. In 1961/62 things changed again and the Combination was re-organised into a Saturday Section and a Midweek Section, with a play-off for the title.
For 1963/64 the Combination reverted to Divisions 1 and 2, with the Saturday Section becoming Division 1 and the Midweek Section becoming Division 2, and promotion/relegation was reintroduced. The decline in numbers led to the reintroduction of the Combination Cup in 1966/67, and by 1968/69 the Combination was down to one Division of 26 teams.
For a time in the 1990s and early 2000s the league was sponsored by Avon Insurance, a subsidiary of NFU Mutual.

Demise

The Combination originally included reserve teams of top League clubs within the region, but in 1999 the FA Premier Reserve League was founded. The reserve teams of the FA Premier League clubs and some First Division clubs joined that competition, reducing the size of the Combination.
The 2011–12 season was the last in the history of the Combination, with the introduction of the EPPP making the league surplus to requirements.

Champions

SeasonCentral & East DivisionWales & West Division
2003–04ReadingCardiff City
2004–05Luton TownCardiff City

SeasonCentral DivisionEast DivisionWales & West Division
2005–06ReadingLuton TownCheltenham Town
2006–07Brighton & Hove AlbionIpswich TownCheltenham Town
2007–08SouthamptonIpswich TownBristol City
2008–09ReadingLuton TownPlymouth Argyle
2009–10Brighton & Hove AlbionWatfordExeter City

Other Divisions

Various other Divisions were utilised in the 1940s to 1960s to accommodate the number of member clubs.
SeasonSection ASection B
1946-47ArsenalPortsmouth
1947-48ArsenalWest Ham United
1948-49ArsenalChelsea
1949-50tbaCharlton Athletic
1950-51ArsenalChelsea
1951-52ReadingTottenham Hotspur

SeasonDivision 2
1952-53tba
1953-54tba
1954-55tba
1955-58Not held
1958-59Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic
1959-60Watford
1960-61Swansea Town
1961-63Not held
1963-64Chelsea
1964-65Southampton
1965-66Reading
1966-67Walsall
1967-68Bristol City

Combination Cup

The Combination also operated a cup competition in various seasons to give the member clubs extra fixtures.

Winners