The Central Junior Football League was a football league competition operated under the Scottish Junior Football Association between 1931 and 2002, with an expansion of its membership in 1968.Central Junior League: Including the Scottish Central Junior League, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 4 September 2020Central Region Junior League, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 4 September 2020

Covering the Greater Glasgow area and also including teams in Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire from the outset, the Central league was created following the Intermediate dispute raised in 1927 by many of the Junior teams in relation to compensation payments for their players moving to Scottish Football League clubs, which in that era was a very common route of progression into the top professional level (whereas towards the end of the 20th century the Senior clubs would typically develop young players within their own youth systems, with Junior squads usually consisting of players of various ages who had been deemed not quite good enough for the professional level, and moving up from Junior to Senior being more the exception than the norm as in the past). The dispute lasted four years, with none of the teams from the powerful Glasgow Junior Football League entering the Scottish Junior Cup and instead playing in separate competitions. In 1931 these teams returned to the SJFA and the Central league was created, although notes from its 1932 AGM stated that it was the 32nd such meeting, suggesting that internally it was considered a continuation of the pre-1927 GJL.Glasgow Junior League, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 27 August 2020 The Scottish Intermediate Cup was retained but re-designated the West of Scotland Junior Cup which has survived to the present day.

The Central League continued to provide many finalists in the Scottish Junior Cup, although its membership was somewhat weakened in the 1960s when several teams who had been successful in the GJL era (primarily Parkhead, Strathclyde and Shawfield) folded, due in part to changes of the urban environment in which they had drawn their support, with traditional communities being rebuilt and many residents rehomed in new peripheral estates or new towns outside the city. Clydebank also left to become a senior club.

A reorganisation of the Junior level across Scotland in 1968 resulted in the Lanarkshire Junior Football League, which had existed since 1891 but had never been as successful as the Glasgow and Central leagues which instead drew the best Lanarkshire teams away into their setup, was fully integrated into the new Central 'region', one of six in the country. In that period, Cambuslang Rangers (coincidentally one of those members based in Lanarkshire but always affiliated with Glasgow leagues) were the strongest club, but their dominance faded after the mid-1970s.

From the 1968 merger until 1982, a three-division setup was in operation, organised on merit (i.e. a hierarchy with promotion and relegation between them, rather than three sections of equal prominence split geographically) but with an end-of-season playoff between the three divisional winners to determine the overall champion who claimed the Evening Times Trophy,Evening Times Competitions , AntsHistoryHistory, Cumbernauld United F.C. resulting in six of those fourteen seasons being won by the 'B Division' winners, and one – 1979–80 – in which the 'C Division' winners, Blantyre Victoria, were declared champions, although the format of the Evening Times Trophy had been amended to the Cup Winners' Cup a year earlier. In the next two seasons, Pollok then Lesmahagow were both overall champions and Evening Times Trophy winners before the playoffs were discontinued and the 1982–83 'A Division' winners were automatically declared the champions.Evening Times Trophy, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 21 April 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021 This system then remained in place until 2002, when the Central region (in which Pollok had become the dominant force) was merged with the Ayrshire Junior Football League that had become increasingly strong in the 1990s in terms of supplying Scottish Junior Cup finalists, to form the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region, one of three large regions. At the end of the 2019–20 season – which was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic – all 63 West Region clubs left the SJFA setup to join a new West of Scotland Football League in the Senior pyramid,Pyramid Update – 67 Applications Approved, Scottish Lowland Football League, 14 April 2020Junior clubs in the west are about to get the best of both worlds, The Scotsman, 19 April 2020 bringing 125 years of Junior league football in the region (including the intermediate years) to an end.

Champions

1931–1968 era Key: Club also won the Scottish Junior Cup (doubles in bold).Club were also runners-up in the Scottish Junior Cup. SeasonWinnerRunner-upOther member in Scottish Cup final 1931–32ShawfieldYoker AthleticGlasgow Perthshire 1932–33PetershillStrathclydeYoker Athletic 1933–34Rutherglen GlencairnYoker AthleticBenburb 1934–35Clydebank JuniorsRenfrewPetershill 1935–36Blantyre VictoriaMorton JuniorsYoker Athletic 1936–37ArthurlieShawfieldKirkintilloch Rob Roy 1937–38Morton JuniorsCambuslang RangersBenburb 1938–39PetershillCambuslang RangersRutherglen Glencairn 1939–40Petershill FC, 1940 (Glasgow Caledonian University, Research Collections, Kevin Morrison Collection, The Glasgow StoryPetershillStrathclydeMaryhill 1940–41Clydebank JuniorsBlantyre VictoriaGlasgow Perthshire 1941–42Clydebank JuniorsMaryhill HarpVale of Clyde 1942–43Rutherglen GlencairnBenburbKirkintilloch Rob Roy 1943–44St Roch'sClydebank JuniorsGlasgow Perthshire 1944–45Clydebank JuniorsPetershillCambuslang Rangers 1945–46ArthurlieBlantyre Celtic 1946–47Vale of LevenPetershillShawfield 1947–48Kilsyth RangersPollok 1948–49Blantyre CelticClydebank JuniorsPetershill 1949–50Clydebank JuniorsPetershillBlantyre Victoria 1950–51Duntocher HibernianBenburbPetershill 1951–52PetershillBellshill Athletic 1952–53AshfieldClydebank JuniorsVale of Leven 1953–54Kilsyth RangersBenburb 1954–55AshfieldPetershillKilsyth Rangers 1955–56PetershillParkhead 1956–57Kilsyth RangersSt Roch's 1957–58Duntocher HibernianParkhead 1958–59Johnstone BurghAshfieldShettleston 1959–60Baillieston JuniorsShettlestonGreenock Juniors 1960–61Greenock JuniorsMaryhill HarpCambuslang Rangers 1961–62Kirkintilloch Rob RoyShettlestonRenfrew 1962–63Kirkintilloch Rob RoyShettleston 1963–64PetershillKirkintilloch Rob RoyCambuslang Rangers 1964–65Johnstone BurghShettlestonBaillieston Juniors 1965–66Greenock JuniorsCambuslang Rangers 1966–67Rutherglen GlencairnCambuslang RangersKilsyth Rangers 1967–68Johnstone BurghPetershill

1968–2002 era

Key: Club also won the Scottish Junior Cup (doubles in bold).Club were also runners-up in the Scottish Junior Cup. SeasonWinnerRunner-upOther member in Scottish Cup final 1968–69PetershillPollokCambuslang Rangers 1969–70Vale of LevenRenfrewBlantyre Victoria 1970–71Cambuslang RangersCumbernauld United 1971–72Cambuslang RangersSt Roch's 1972–73Cambuslang RangersSt Roch's 1973–74Cambuslang RangersMaryhill 1974–75East Kilbride ThistleLarkhall ThistleRutherglen Glencairn 1975–76East Kilbride ThistlePort Glasgow 1976–77Glasgow PerthshireShettlestonKirkintilloch Rob Roy 1977–78 Cumbernauld UnitedLesmahagowStonehouse Violet 1978–79PollokPort Glasgow 1979–80Blantyre VictoriaEast Kilbride ThistleBaillieston Juniors 1980–81PollokBlantyre VictoriaArthurlie 1981–82LesmahagowEast Kilbride ThistleBlantyre Victoria 1982–83PetershillBaillieston JuniorsEast Kilbride Thistle 1983–84PetershillPollokBaillieston Juniors 1984–85PollokYoker AthleticPetershill 1985–86PollokKilsyth Rangers 1986–87PollokBaillieston Juniors 1987–88ArthurlieKilsyth RangersPetershill 1988–89ArthurliePollok 1989–90PetershillPollokLesmahagow 1990–91PollokArthurlie 1991–92LesmahagowPetershill 1992–93PetershillPollok 1993–94ArthurlieLesmahagow 1994–95PollokArthurlie 1995–96PollokPetershill 1996–97MaryhillPollok 1997–98Shotts Bon AccordMaryhillArthurlie 1998–99MaryhillPollok 1999–2000BenburbPollokJohnstone Burgh 2000–01ArthurlieBenburbRenfrew 2001–02Johnstone BurghLarkhall Thistle Notes

List of winners

Club1931–1968 era1968–2002 eraOverall Win R-up First win Last win Win R-up First win Last win Win R-upPetershill 6 51932–33 1963–64 5 21968–69 1992–93 11 7Pollok 0 1N/A 8 81978–79 1994–95 8 8Arthurlie 2 01936–37 1945–46 4 21987–88 2000–01 6 2Clydebank Juniors 5 31934–35 1949–50 0 0N/A 5 3Cambuslang Rangers 0 4N/A 4 01970–71 1973–74 4 4Johnstone Burgh 3 01958–59 1967–68 1 02001–02 4 0Kilsyth Rangers 3 01947–48 1956–57 0 2N/A 3 2Rutherglen Glencairn 3 01933–34 1966–67 0 0N/A 3 0East Kilbride Thistle 0 0N/A 2 21974–75 1975–76 2 2Maryhill 0 0N/A 2 21996–97 1998–99 2 2Lesmahagow 0 0N/A 2 21981–82 1991–92 2 2Blantyre Victoria 1 11935–36 1 11979–80 2 2Ashfield 2 11952–53 1954–55 0 0 N/A 2 1Kirkintilloch Rob Roy 2 11961–62 1962–63 0 0N/A 2 1Vale of Leven 1 01946–47 1 01969–70 2 0Greenock Juniors 2 01960–61 1965–66 0 0N/A 2 0Duntocher Hibernian 2 01950–51 1957–58 0 0N/A 2 0Benburb 0 3N/A 1 11999–2000 1 4St Roch's 1 11943–44 0 2N/A 1 3 Baillieston Juniors 1 01959–60 0 2N/A 1 2Cumbernauld United 0 0N/A 1 11977–78 1 1Blantyre Celtic 1 11948–49 0 0N/A 1 1Morton Juniors 1 11937–38 0 0N/A 1 1Shawfield 1 11931–32 0 0 N/A 1 1Shotts Bon Accord 0 0 N/A 1 01997–98 1 0Glasgow Perthshire 0 0N/A 1 01976–77 1 0Shettleston 0 4N/A 0 1N/A 0 5Yoker Athletic 0 2N/A 0 1N/A 0 3Renfrew 0 1N/A 0 1N/A 0 2Larkhall Thistle 0 0N/A 0 2N/A 0 2 Port Glasgow 0 0N/A 0 2N/A 0 2Strathclyde 0 2N/A 0 0N/A 0 2Maryhill Harp 0 2N/A 0 0N/A 0 2Bellshill Athletic 0 1N/A 0 0N/A 0 1 Notes

References

Scottish Junior FA Structure, Scottish Junior Football Association Non-League Scotland (archive version), with club progression by season 1990 to 2007)