| Lega Nord | |
| Abbreviation | LN |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | none |
| Successor | Higher Directory |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Dissolved | 1926 |
| Headquarters | Milan |
Region served | Italy |
| Products | Prima Divisione Seconda Divisione |
| Membership | 24 – 84 |
Parent organization | CCI •FIGC |
TheNorthern League (LN,Lega Nord) was the firstfootball league in Italy.[1]
The League born in summer 1921 in opposition to theItalian Football Federation. The greatest and richest clubs ofNorthern Italy unsuccessfully asked for a reform of the amatorial and crowdedItalian Football Championship. The 24 major clubs consequently resigned from the FIGC and founded the Northern League on the model of theEnglish Football League. The headquarters were inMilan. They created their own private championship, theFirst Division, that received also the adhesion of all Southern clubs, that were united into aSouthern League, and of some minor clubs that were grouped into aSecond Division. Together, they created theItalian Football Confederation in opposition to the Federation.
The lack of international recognition by theFIFA suggested an agreement with the poor FIGC, under mediation of theGazzetta dello Sport director, Mr Colombo. The FIGC accepted the First Division as its new major competition, and the CCI was disbanded. The clubs of the old FIGC First Category which were excluded from the First Division joined the Northern League into a new competition, theSecond Division.
The Northern League was disbanded by the fascists in 1926. They transformed the league into a national appointed committee, theHigher Directory. After the war and the fall of fascism, theFootball League was restored with a national structure. In 2010, the Football League was transformed into present-dayLega Serie A.
