TheYorkshire Football League was the name of twofootball competitions. The first lasted three seasons in the late 19th century and the second lasted 62 years until merging with theMidland League in 1982 to become theNorthern Counties East League.
| Founded | 1897 |
|---|---|
| Country |  England |
| Number of clubs | 10 |
The original league was founded in 1897, and featured ten teams, however it only lasted for two seasons and was dissolved by the end of 1900. It is generally not viewed as the same competition as that which emerged in the 1920s.
During the three years of its existence, the original Yorkshire league was won first bySheffield United reserves[1] and then in 1898–99Wombwell[2] were champions. The competition took place before many of the more well known clubs of today were formed, for example it featured a team fromLeeds, which predated bothLeeds City andLeeds United. The same could be said for theHuddersfield, Halifax, and Bradford sides.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1897–98 | Sheffield United reserves |
| 1898–99 | Wombwell |
| 1899–1900 | Huddersfield &Hunslet (shared) |
 | |
| Founded | 1920 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Divisions | Single division(1920–1949) Division One(1949–1982) Division Two(1949–1982) Division Three(1961–1964 & 1970–1982) |
The second Yorkshire League was formed in 1920, catering for a mixture ofsemi-professional and amateur local football teams. Some of theFootball League clubs entered their reserve sides and third teams.
The first champions wereBradford Park Avenue reserves. They were the only reserve outfit in the league during that inaugural season, but their success in the Yorkshire League induced other bigger clubs to sign their reserves up for inclusion for the following seasons.
The league originally consisted of a single section of 13 clubs, and although numbers rose and fell, by 1935 had reached a stable membership of 20 clubs. However, the league ceased operations in 1939 on the outbreak ofWorld War II. For the 1931–32 and 1932–33 seasons, the number of clubs competing was so small that two separate competitions were organised, with the winners of the first competition playing the winners of the second competition for the league championship.
No club dominated the league in particular beforeWorld War II, withSelby Town the only team who won successive titles in 1934–35 and 1935–36.Bradford Park Avenue reserves along with Selby Town remained the overall most successful however, with three titles each to their names. There were only six seasons where the title was not competed for, this was during part of the 1940s when, due toWorld War II, many of the players in football competitions all over the country were called up to fight and thus the leagues were put on hold.
After the War, the league resumed for the 1945–46 season, and within five years had enough clubs to form two divisions, entitled Division One and Division Two. This pattern continued until 1961, when a third division was formed (although that only lasted three seasons, and then lay dormant until revived for the 1970–71 season).
Stocksbridge Works became the dominant force in the Yorkshire League of the 1950s. They were founder members of Division Two and won that league in its second season, gaining promotion. In their début year in the top division they took the title. After a two-year hiatus, whenSelby Town again completed a double, Stocksbridge won the Championship for four consecutive seasons, a record which stood until the league's demise. After their sustained period of success, Stocksbridge became a "yo-yo club," spending short periods in Divisions One and Two, and also dipped down to Division Three for a single season.
The league ran until 1981–82, when it merged with theMidland League to form theNorthern Counties East League.[3]
| Season | |
|---|---|
| 1920–21 | Bradford Park Avenue reserves |
| 1921–22 | Houghton Main |
| 1922–23 | Bradford Park Avenue reserves |
| 1923–24 | Methley Perseverance |
| 1924–25 | Brodsworth Main |
| 1925–26 | Methley Perseverance |
| 1926–27 | Harrogate |
| 1927–28 | Goole Town |
| 1928–29 | Bradford Park Avenue reserves |
| 1929–30 | Bradford City reserves |
| 1930–31 | Leeds United "A" |
| 1931–32 | Huddersfield Town "A" |
| 1932–33 | Selby Town |
| 1933–34 | Huddersfield Town "A" |
| 1934–35 | Selby Town |
| 1935–36 | Selby Town |
| 1936–37 | Selby Town |
| 1937–38 | York City reserves |
| 1938–39 | Sheffield Wednesday "A" |
| 1939–40 | Competition suspended due toWorld War II |
| 1940–41 | Competition suspended due toWorld War II |
| 1941–42 | Competition suspended due toWorld War II |
| 1942–43 | Competition suspended due toWorld War II |
| 1943–44 | Competition suspended due toWorld War II |
| 1944–45 | Competition suspended due toWorld War II |
| 1945–46 | Wombwell Athletic |
| 1946–47 | Thorne Colliery |
| 1947–48 | Goole Town |
| 1948–49 | Sheffield United "A" |
| Season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Goole Town reserves | Retford Town reserves |
| 1950–51 | Sheffield Wednesday "A" | Stocksbridge Works |
| 1951–52 | Stocksbridge Works | Farsley Celtic |
| 1952–53 | Selby Town | Huddersfield Town "A" |
| 1953–54 | Selby Town | Rawmarsh Welfare |
| 1954–55 | Stocksbridge Works | Hull City "A" |
| 1955–56 | Stocksbridge Works | Rawmarsh Welfare |
| 1956–57 | Stocksbridge Works | Retford Town |
| 1957–58 | Stocksbridge Works | East End Park WMC |
| 1958–59 | Retford Town | Yorkshire Amateur |
| 1959–60 | Farsley Celtic | Grimethorpe Miners Welfare |
| 1960–61 | Sheffield Wednesday "A" | Hallam |
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961–62 | Stocksbridge Works | Bridlington Trinity | Farsley Celtic reserves |
| 1962–63 | Stocksbridge Works | Wombwell Sporting Association | Farsley Celtic reserves |
| 1963–64 | Bridlington Trinity | Rawmarsh Welfare | Keighley Central |