North-east Lancashire League

The North-East Lancashire League was an association football competition for clubs in Lancashire, which ran from 1889 to 1894.

North-east Lancashire League

Founded	1889
Abolished	1895
Region	England
Number of teams	10–12
Most successful club(s)	Accrington reserves/Burnley reserves, 2 titles each

History

The League was founded on 2 May 1889 at a meeting at the Bridge Inn, Accrington, with 12 original members:^[1]

• Bell's Temperance
• Brierfield
• Burnley Union Star
• Colne
• Darwen Rovers
• Haslingden Association
• Haslingden Church Institute
• Irwell Springs (changed name to Bacup in 1892)
• Padiham
• Peel Bank Rovers (changed name to Church in 1891, but reverted to Peel Bank Rovers in 1892)^[2]
• Ramsbottom
• Rawtenstall

The first champion was Brierfield, who beat Burnley Union Star in the final match to leapfrog the Stars into the top spot.^[3]

Reserve sides of Football League clubs were allowed into the competition from 1890–91, and the other titles were won by them; Accrington's reserves in 1890–91 (having won its first 15 games)^[4] and 1891–92, and Burnley's reserve side, Burnley Swifts, in the next two seasons.^[5] The 1893–94 season was the League's last, as, at the season end, it was absorbed into the Lancashire Combination;^[6] the competition had already been undermined when Bacup (the re-named Irwell Springs) had been elevated into the Lancashire League after 11 games in the season, at which point it had won 9 times.^[7]

Membership changes

Year	Team leaving	Team joining
1890–91	Bell's Temperance, Burnley Union Star, Haslingden Association, Padiham	Accrington reserves, Blackburn Rovers reserves, Burnley Swifts, Clitheroe
1891–92	Blackburn Rovers reserves, Colne, Darwen Rovers, Haslingden Church Institute[8]	Bell's Temperance, Darwen reserves, Oswaldtwistle Rovers, Padiham
1892–93	Darwen reserves	Haslingden Association
1893–94	Peel Bank Rovers, Haslingden Association	none