Suffolk and Ipswich Football League

The Suffolk and Ipswich Football League is a football competition based in Suffolk, England. The league has a total of six divisions; the Premier Division, Championship and Division 2-5. Only first teams of member clubs are permitted to play in the Premier Division and Championship. Divisions 2-5 contains teams, Reserve and 'A' teams of member clubs. Reserve teams must have one full division separating them and their first team counterpart; Reserve and 'A' teams may not be in the same division but do not require separation. Teams are arranged in to their divisions at the Annual General Meeting

The Premier Division is at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System. The league was founded in 1896 as the Ipswich & District League changing its name in 1978.

The Premier Division champions may apply for promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division One. Clubs from the league to progress up the pyramid include Whitton United, Sudbury Town, Hadleigh United, Woodbridge Town, Needham Market, Walsham-le-Willows, Debenham LC, and Halesworth Town.

The league is affiliated to the Suffolk County Football Association.

History The Ipswich and District League was established in 1896 at the initiative of Frederick Gibbons, the secretary of St Lawrence Works. Gibbons placed an advert in the East Anglian Daily Times stating that he intended to launch a football league for Ipswich and the surrounding area.League History Suffolk & Ipswich League The inaugural meeting on 10 September 1896 was attended by officials from 18 clubs including Brantham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Orwell Works. Local MP Daniel Ford Goddard, who became the league's first president, promised to provide a trophy for the league, and the league commenced in October with two divisions of eight clubs. Although Ipswich Town had opted not to join, several other clubs that had not attended the initial meeting did, including Felixstowe Town, Stowmarket and Woodbridge Old St Mary's.

Divisions between the Amateur Football Association (AFA) and the Football Association (which had created a split in the Suffolk County Football Association) led to a small number of clubs leaving the league (which was affiliated to the AFA) in 1910 and setting up a rival FA Ipswich & District League.Wood, pp. 26–38 More clubs left the AFA version of the league in 1911, which ran with just twelve clubs across its two divisions. Although 21 clubs attended the league's annual general meeting in August 1912 and it was initially agreed to have ten clubs in Division One and eleven in Division Two, seven of the clubs elected to Division One walked out of the meeting. the 1912–13 season saw ten clubs compete in the AFA version of the league and 14 in the FA version, a situation that continued in 1913–14. Although the dispute between the AFA and FA were resolved in 1914, resulting in rival leagues merging to form a three-division competition, the outbreak of World War I saw the league abandoned in September 1914.

When the league resumed in 1919 it had grown to five divisions. Division One was renamed the Premier Division in 1950, with a new Division One created above the sectional Division Twos.Wood, p. 87 By 1971 the league had expanded to ten divisions.Wood, p. 161 In 1978 the league was renamed the Suffolk & Ipswich League and the Premier Division became the Senior Division.Wood, p. 184

For the 2025-26 season, the Senior Division was renamed Premier Division and Division 1 was renamed to Championship.

List of divisional champions SeasonDivision OneDivision Two1896–97StowmarketSt Matthews1897–98StowmarketWest End Excelsiors1898–99Woodbridge Old St MarysBrantham Athletic1899–1900StowmarketSt Peters1900–01LeistonSt Clements Rangers1901–02LeistonLeiston reserves1902–03LeistonWestgate Ward Liberals1903–0428th RGA LandguardWoodbridge Town1904–05Orwell WorksWestbourne Athletic1905–06Orwell WorksWestbourne Mills1906–07Orwell WorksStoke Athletic1907–08StowmarketSt Clements United1908–09Westbourne MillsWoodbridge Town1909–10StowmarketStowmarket reserves1910–11Felixstowe TownStowmarket reserves1911–12Orwell WorksAll Saints United1912–13Woodbridge Town (AFA)Stowmarket (FA)Hadleigh (AFA)G Battery RHA (FA)1913–14Walton United (AFA)Stowmarket (FA)Stoke Athletic and YMCA jointly (AFA)Brantham Athletic (FA)SeasonPremier DivisionDivision Two ADivision Two B1919–20Bury UnitedLife Bridgade Old BoysStoke Athletic1920–21Walton UnitedGreat Eastern RailwayStoke Guild1921–22StowmarketSt Marys Elms Old BoysWoodbridge Comrades1922–23Harwich & ParkestonManganese BronzeWoodbridge Comrades1923–24RAF MartleshamBramford WorksClarkson Street Athletic1924–25RAF FelixstoweHMS GangesLeiston St Margarets1925–26Walton UnitedManningtreeWoodbridge Town1926–27HMS GangesSt JohnsKingsway Athletic1927–28HMS GangesShotley SwiftsKingsway Athletic1928–29Lowestoft Waveney AthleticIpswich Town reservesAldeburgh Town1929–30Newmarket TownParkeston Railway reservesStoke Institute1930–31Stoke InstituteIpswich Town reservesOrwell Works reserves1931–32RAF MartleshamBarham HouseIpswich Town reserves1932–33Orwell WorksNeedham MarketIpswich Town reserves1933–34Newmarket TownHadleigh UnitedIpswich Town reserves1934–35Sudbury TownParkeston RailwayAtlas1935–36Orwell WorksParkeston RailwayMelton St Andrews1936–37Felixstowe TownManningtree RoversWickham Market1937–38Orwell WorksManningtree RoversLeiston1938–39Orwell WorksStoke UnitedMelton St Andrews1945–46Achilles and HMS Ganges jointlyNo Division Two1946–47Whitton UnitedNeedham Market1947–48Whitton UnitedNeedham MarketBramford Road Old Boys1948–49AchillesHadleigh & DistrictGrundisburgh1949–50Waterside WorksGreat BlakenhamGrundisburghSeasonPremier Division1950–51Waterside WorksGrundisburgh1951–52Waterside WorksGreat Blakenham1952–53Sudbury TownNeedham Market1953–54Hadleigh UnitedLandseer1954–55Waterside WorksRAF Martlesham1955–56Waterside WorksEastern Old Boys1956–57Hadleigh UnitedChristchurch Athletic1957–58Felixstowe TownOrwell Works1958–59Waterside WorksIpswich Lads Club1959–60Electric SupplyGrundisburgh1960–61Orwell WorksRanelagh Road Old Boys1961–62Orwell WorksRanelagh Road Old Boys1962–63Waterside WorksHeath Row1963–64Waterside WorksMelton United1964–65Felixstowe TownPriory Heath Old Boys1965–66Whitton UnitedWesterfield United1966–67Electric SupplyPriory Heath Old Boys1967–68Whitton UnitedWetheringsett1968–69Electric SupplyRushmere Athetic1969–70ICI PaintsNicholians1970–71Heath RowWoodbridge Town1971–72NicholiansBull Motors1972–73Hadleigh UnitedBull Motors1973–74Nicholians LocomotiveAlan Road1974–75Crane SportsStutton1975–76NicholiansWickham Market1976–77Hadleigh UnitedHaughley United1977–78Bull MotorsCaribbeansSeasonSenior DivisionDivision One1978–79Hadleigh UnitedMurrayside1979–80Nicholians LocomotiveCoplestonians1980–81RansomesBramford Road Old Boys1981–82Westerfield UnitedOld Newton United1982–83Haughley UnitedHalesworth Town1983–84Westerfield UnitedLeiston1984–85Westerfield UnitedBT Research1985–86AchillesMurrayside1986–87RSSC RansomesWoodbridge Town1987–88AchillesYMCA Fonnereau Athletic1988–89Woodbridge TownHalesworth Town1989–90GrundisburghWalsham-le-Willows1990–91GrundisburghMelton St Audrys1991–92Framlingham TownWesterfield United1992–93Whitton UnitedAchilles1993–94GrundisburghNicholians1994–95Whitton UnitedWalsham-le-Willows1995–96Needham Market1996–97Haughley United1997–98Grundisburgh1998–99Walton United1999–2000Grundisburgh2000–01Grundisburgh2001–02Walsham-le-Willows2002–03Walsham-le-WillowsCockfield United2003–04East Bergholt UnitedAFC Debenham2004–05East Bergholt UnitedStonham Aspal2005–06East Bergholt UnitedCoplestonians2006–07GrundisburghStonham Aspal2007–08Brantham AthleticWoodbridge Athletic2008–09GrundisburghOld Newton United2009–10Old Newton UnitedHaughley United2010–11GrundisburghLeiston St Margarets2011–12Woodbridge AthleticCoplestonians2012–13Ipswich Valley RangersWesterfield United2013–14AchillesBramford United2014–15Crane SportsIpswich Athletic2015–16Crane SportsRansomes Sports2016–17Henley AthleticBenhall St Mary2017–18AchillesClaydon2018–19Crane SportsOld Newton United2019–20League abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic2020–212021–22Henley AthleticSporting 872022–23Henley AthleticStowupland Falcons2023–24Henley AthleticThurston2024–25Old Newton UnitedSomersham

Domestic Cups Teams from the league are entered into 4 of the County's 5 County Cup competitions.

Suffolk Senior Cup: Premier Division sides Suffolk Senior Reserve Cup: Division 2 to 5 sides, that are reserve teams of teams playing in the Senior Cup Suffolk Junior Cups: Championship and Division 2 Sides Suffolk Primary Cup: Division 3 to 5 sides

They compete against other sides that are affiliated to Suffolk FA but play in other leagues. These leagues include Cambridgeshire County, Anglian Combination, Essex & Suffolk Border, Lowerstoft & District1 and Central & South Norfolk1.

1 No teams from this league enter the Senior Cup

League Cups The league also runs a league cup, known as the Morrison Freight sponsored Bob Coleman Cup (or the Morrison Freight Cup). It has previously been known as the Omnico Cup and the McNeil League Knock–Out Cup

List of winners

1976–77 Hadleigh United 1977–78 Needham Market 1978–79 Woodbridge Town 1979–80 Needham Market 1980–81 Hadleigh United 1981–82 Hadleigh United 1982–83 Ransomes 1983–84 Westerfield United 1984–85 Westerfield United 1985–86 Haughley United 1986–87 Hadleigh United 1987–88 Achilles 1988–89 Grundisburgh 1989–90 Framlingham Town 1990–91 Grundisburgh 1991–92 Framlingham Town 1992–93 Grundisburgh 1993–94 Whitton United 1994–95 Stanton 1995–96 Haughley United 1996–97 Brantham & Stutton United 1997–98 Grundisburgh 1998–99 Walsham-le-Willows 1999–2000 Walsham-le-Willows 2000–01 Grundisburgh 2001–02 Walsham-le-Willows 2002–03 Old Newton United 2003–04 East Bergholt United 2004–05 Crane Sports 2005–06 Ransomes Sports 2006–07 Melton St Audrys 2007–08 Grundisburgh 2008–09 Ransomes Sports 2009–10 Ransomes Sports 2010–11 Crane Sports 2011–12 Haughley United 2012–13 Crane Sports 2013–14 Grundisburgh 2014–15 Ipswich Athletic

Suffolk and Ipswich Football League

Bron en licentie