TheLigue de Football Association (lit. 'Association Football League', LFA) was a French federation bringing together football clubs.

The LFA was founded on 27 August 1910 by four dissident clubs of the USFSA:Cercle Athlétique de Paris,Red Star Amical Club,US Suisse Paris, andParis Star.^[1][2] These clubs left theUSFSA because the latter refused to join theFrench Interfederal Committee (CFI), which had represented France atFIFA for three years.^[3][4] The founding members wereGeorges Caizac, Mac Cabe, Vaury,Henri Beau,Robert Desmarets,Michel Fontaine, and the president of Red StarJules Rimet.^[5][6] The latter took over the presidency of the newly created LFA, leaving his post at Red Star because he felt that he could "not be responsible for a club and represent all football clubs at the same time".^[2][7]

The LFA quickly joined the CFI, which made its players eligible for selection in theFrench national team (except the French Olympic team, which was still exclusively managed by the USFSA) and which allowed its clubs to participate in theTrophée de France.^[8] In 1913–14, the LFA controlled athree-level championship exclusively centered on Paris and its suburbs, with the first level having twelve clubs, the second 20, and the third 36.

In October 1917, theLigue du Midi de Football Association (LFMA), bringing together clubs from the South-West andLanguedoc, was refused recognition by the USFSA, so they affiliated with the LFA.^[9][10] Similarly, theLigue de Lorraine de Football Association (LEFA) joined the LFA, which "nationalized" itself and organized its first national French Championship, won by the southerners ofVie au Grand Air du Médoc.^[11] In the following year, in 1918, the LFA also created a regional league for the clubs of Paris, theLigue de Paris, whose first president was Dosogne, who was appointed unanimously, and it was vice-presided byHenri Gasqueton, the president of the LFMA.^[12] The name was later changed toLigue Parisienne de Football Association (LPFA).^[13]

The LPFA played a decisive role in the constitution of the FFFA in 1919, taking on the role of the newParis League [fr] from 7 July 1919 onwards.^[14][15] Under the influence and weight of Jules Rimet's LFA, the CFI gradually only dealt with football, thus directly paving the way, after the war, for the creation of theFrench Football Federation (FFF).^[8]

TheLFA French Football Championship was an amateur football competition organized by the Ligue de Football Association (LFA).^[16] It was held every year from 1910 until the outbreak of theFirst World War in 1914, and since the LFA was a member of the CFI, the winner of the LFA Football Championship competed for the CFI'sTrophée de France.^[16] During the War, the LFA organized and held two "wartime" competitions, theChallenge de la Renommée (1914–19), and the1916–17 LFA Interfederal Cup.^[17] After the War, the LFA organized two more championships in 1918 and 1919, this time national.^[11]

The inaugural LFA Championship was contested by six known participants, including the four founding clubs of the LFA:Red Star Amical Club,CA Paris-Charenton,US Suisse Paris, andParis Star, plus CS athlétiques andFEC Levallois [fr]. The title was won by CA Paris after beating Red Star in the final on 12 March 1911, in Charentonneau, in front of a thousand spectators.^[18][19] Afterwards, the French newspaperLa Presse stated that CA Paris was "one of the best amateur clubs in France".^[19]

12 March 1911

15:00

Final

CA Paris-Charenton	1 – 0	Red Star AC
Payot 1–0' Coulon -Verlet,C. Bilot -Bigué,Cyprès,G. Bilot - Bourdon,Devic,Mesnier,Gravier, Payot	Report1 Report2	Wooley - Heyting,Gindrat -Nicolaï,Rhéart,Gamblin -Verbrugge,Denis,Maës, Haazem,Morel

Stade de Charentonneau,Maisons-Alfort, France

Attendance: Approximately 1,000

Referee: Mr. Barette

In 1912, Red Star, then led by their infamouscaptainLucien Gamblin and their sports director/coach Roland Richard, was crowned LFA champion.^[2] The club took advantage of this victory to meet the greatest European teams of the time, including a narrow defeat (2–1) at home against the English professionalsTottenham in 1913.^[2]

The 1912–13 LFA Championship was contested by 10 teams: Red Star AC, CA Paris, US Suisse,Olympique de Pantin,CA Vitry, CS athlétiques,JA Saint-Ouen [fr],Etoile sportive du XIIIe,FEC Levallois [fr], andClub de Levallois.^[20] In the last matchday of the championship, CA Paris sealed its second LFA title with a 4–1 win overClub de Levallois, thus finishing at 50 points, five more than runner-up Red Star.^[2][20]

The 1913–14 LFA Championship was contested by 8 teams, which were the same as the previous edition minusEtoile sportive du XIIIe andClub de Levallois.^[21] The title was won by FEC Levallois with 24 points, four more than runner-up US Suisse.^[21]

During the War, the LFA organized theChallenge de la Renommée,^[17] with a total of fourteen teams participating in its second edition in 1915–16.^[22] The first three editions of the competition between 1914–15 and 1916–17 were all won byOlympique de Pantin.^[17] The 1917–18 edition was won byClub Français, beating US Suisse in the final, and the last edition in 1918–19 was won by Red Star AC.^[17] The last edition was contested by sixteen teams divided into two groups.^[23]

During the War, the LFA organized the 1916–17 Interfederal Cup, which was open to teams from other federations, and was won byAS Française.^[17][24]

In mid-1917, theLigue de Lorraine de Football Association (LEFA) joined the LFA, which "nationalized" itself and organized its first national French Championship, won by the southerners ofVie au Grand Air du Médoc, beating the Parisians of Club Français, who had eliminated theLorraine champion.^[11]

The 1918–19 LFA Championship was both its second national tournament and also its last overall. In the last matchday, Red Star AC sealed the title after a 4–4 draw with direct rivals CA Paris.^[25]

• Defunct sports governing bodies in France
• Football governing bodies in France
• Sports organizations established in 1910
• Sports organizations disestablished in 1919
• Defunct association football governing bodies
• 1910 establishments in France
• 1919 disestablishments in France

• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• Articles containing French-language text
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata