The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The league was also affiliated to the Birmingham County F.A. Winners of the league would have had to have been elected to the Birmingham & District League in order to gain promotion.
History The competition was formed in 1892, three years after the Birmingham & District League, to cater for those clubs which held "junior" membership of the Birmingham County Football Association, and was thus initially called the Birmingham & District Junior League. The eight founder member clubs were Aston St James, Bournbrook, Bournville, Ellen Street Victoria, Hamstead, Kings Heath Albion, Park Mills, and Soho Villa.
By 1908, the league's status and area of coverage had grown significantly and it changed its name to the Birmingham Combination. At this time the Combination acted as a "feeder" league to the Birmingham & District League. The Combination attracted the top four teams of the Walsall and District League, Willenhall Swifts, Darlaston, Bilston United and Hednesford Town, as well as Wednesbury Old Athletic, who all moved to the Birmingham Junior League for the beginning of the season.
The league welcomed Walsall as they became the first local Football League club to enter a team in the competition when in 1923 they entered their reserve team, they were followed in 1928 by Birmingham, in 1932 by Wolverhampton Wanderers and in 1933 by West Bromwich Albion. Aston Villa were the last of the local league sides to enter a team, doing so in 1935. By the 1930s it had grown in prestige and had come to be regarded as the stronger of the two leagues.
In 1952 the Birmingham & District League, which had by now regained its status as the top league in the area, suggested a merger between the two competitions, but the Combination rejected the idea. Several of the Combination's top teams then defected to its rival. The depleted Combination then revived the idea of a merger but it was rejected and, when all bar one of the Combination's remaining clubs jumped to the League in 1954, the Combination was effectively absorbed by the League.
Champions The champions of the league were as follows:
SeasonChampions1892–93Soho Villa1893–94Coombs Wood1894–95Lozells1895–96Bournbrook1896–97Bournbrook1897–98Bournville Athletic1898–99Bournville Athletic1899–1900Bournville Athletic1900–01Bournville Athletic1901–02Bournville Athletic1902–03Bournville Athletic1903–04Foleshill Great Heath1904–05Coombs Wood Tube Works1905–06Coombs Wood Tube Works1906–07Nuneaton Town1907–08Darlaston1908–09Willenhall Pickwick1909–10Hednesford Town1910–11Darlaston1911–12Cradley Heath St Lukes1912–13Stafford Rangers1913–14Redditch1914–15Nuneaton TownNo competition between 1915 and 1919 due to the First World War1919–20Cradley Heath St Lukes1920–21Cannock Town1921–22Cradley Heath St Lukes1922–23Oakengates Town1923–24Hinckley United1924–25Bloxwich Strollers1925–26Leamington Town1926–27Hinckley United1927–28Walsall Reserves1928–29Nuneaton Town1929–30Market Harborough Town1930–31Nuneaton Town1931–32Birmingham "A"1932–33Redditch1933–34Dudley Town1934–35Wolverhampton Wanderers "A"1935–36Aston Villa "A"1936–37Walsall Reserves1937–38Darlaston1938–39Aston Villa "A"No competition between 1939 and 1945 due to the Second World War1945–46Darlaston1946–47Bromsgrove Rovers1947–48Atherstone Town1948–49Bedworth Town1949–50Bedworth Town1950–51Hednesford Town1951–52Stourbridge1952–53Redditch1953–54Rugby Town
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