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The Spanish Civil War Living History Group |
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Soccer in England can trace ancient roots, however the modern game probably should look to the founding of the FA in 1863 for its origin. Out of the chaos of the competing codes and leagues came a nationwide competition, the FA cup, which was first played for In 1871.
The creation of a league, in 1888, placed the game on a firm footing and allowed for the development of professional teams. The original league membership showed how far the game was grounded in the Industrial north and Midlands. Regular nationwide football provided a focus for the ambitions of clubs and a second league was added in 1892. The third division [South] was created in 1920 and third division [north] in 1921. By the end of the 30's regional league teams were competing to win election to the national league. For example, Without automatic promotion Scunthorpe fans had an agonising wait after the season to see if winning the Midland League was enough to merit a place in the Third Division North. In 1939 it was not, and the club had to wait till after the Second World War to stand a chance.
By the 1930's a patchwork of leagues covered the whole country. Already super-clubs were emerging. Arsenal dominated the First Division, however gap between the leagues were less marked than today. Sheffield United were demoted one year and Cup finalists the next. Arsenal were beaten by lowly Walsall in the 3rd round of the cup in 1933. New promoted clubs would often challenge for leadership rather than struggle for survival. The game continued to evolve. The change of the off side rule, to favour the attacker, saw the evolution of new tactics by Ex-Spurs player and new Arsenal manager, Herbert Chapman. Another innovation came in 1939, when numbers were put on players shirts.
International football went back to the pre-league days. By 1905 the major European nations had formed Associations. FIFA was founded in 1905 and by 1930 the original seven members had risen to 41. England was not one of them. The FA pulled out of the international body in 1928 when and argument broke out over payments to amateurs. England did not enter the World Cup until 1950. Instead the nation played one off matches and sent touring parties to the colonies. England would not be beaten by a non-British side at home till the 1950's, indeed she beat 'The Rest of the World' 3-0 at Highbury in 1938. The same could be said of away matches. England's first foreign defeat was by Spain in 1929.
Below are the domestic English results of the 1930s:
| 1st Division | |||||
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Relegated | |
| 1930/1 | Arsenal | Aston Villa | Sheffield Wed | Leeds | Manchester United |
| 1931/2 | Everton | Arsenal | Sheffield Wed | Grimsby | West Ham |
| 1932/3 | Arsenal | Aston Villa | Sheffield Wed | Bolton | Blackpool |
| 1933/4 | Arsenal | Huddersfield | Spurs | Newcastle | Sheffield Utd |
| 1934/5 | Sunderland | Derby | Huddersfield | Aston Villa | Blackburn |
| 1935/6 | Arsenal | Sunderland | Sheffield Wed | Leicester | Spurs |
| 1936/7 | Man City | Charlton | Arsenal | Man Utd | Sheffield Wed |
| 1937/8 | Arsenal | Wolves | Preston | Man City | West Brom |
| 1938/9 | Everton | Wolves | Charlton | Birmingham | Leicester |
| 2nd Division | |||||
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Relegated | |
| 1930/1 | Everton | West Brom | Spurs | Reading | Cardiff |
| 1931/2 | Wolves | Leeds | Stoke | Barnsley | Bristol City |
| 1932/3 | Stoke | Spurs | Fulham | Chesterfield | Charlton |
| 1933/4 | Grimsby | Preston | Bolton | Millwall | Lincoln |
| 1934/5 | Brentford | Bolton | West Ham | Oldham | Notts Co |
| 1935/6 | Man Utd | Charlton | Sheffield Utd | Port Vale | Hull |
| 1936/7 | Leicester | Blackpool | Bury | Bradford City | Doncaster |
| 1937/8 | Aston Villa | Man Utd | Sheffield Utd | Barnsley | Stockport |
| 1938/9 | Blackburn | Sheff Utd | Sheff Wed | Norwich | Tranmere |
| 3rd Division [South] | |||
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 1930/1 | Notts CO | Crystal Palace | Brentford |
| 1931/2 | Fulham | Reading | Southend |
| 1932/3 | Brentford | Exeter | Norwich |
| 1933/4 | Norwich | Coventry | Reading |
| 1934/5 | Charlton | Reading | Coventry |
| 1935/6 | Coventry | Luton | Reading |
| 1936/7 | Luton | Notts CO | Brighton |
| 1937/8 | Millwall | Bristol City | QPR |
| 1938/9 | Newport | Crystal Palace | Brighton |
| 3rd Division [North] | |||
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 1930/1 | Chesterfield | Lincoln | Tranmere |
| 1931/2 | Lincoln | Gateshead | Chester |
| 1932/3 | Hull | Wrexham | Stockport |
| 1933/4 | Barnsley | Chesterfield | Stockport |
| 1934/5 | Doncaster | Halifax | Chester |
| 1935/6 | Chesterfield | Chester | Tranmere |
| 1936/7 | Stockport | Lincoln | Chester |
| 1937/8 | Tranmere | Doncaster | Hull |
| 1938/9 | Barnsley | Doncaster | Bradford City |
| FA Cup | ||||
| Season | Winner | Runner Up | ||
| 1930 | Arsenal | 2 | 0 | Huddersfield |
| 1931 | West Brom | 2 | 1 | Birmingham |
| 1932 | Newcastle | 2 | 1 | Arsenal |
| 1933 | Everton | 3 | 0 | Manchester City |
| 1934 | Manchester City | 2 | 1 | Plymouth |
| 1935 | Sheffield Wed | 4 | 2 | West Brom |
| 1936 | Arsenal | 1 | 0 | Sheffield Utd |
| 1937 | Sunderland | 3 | 1 | Preston North End [after extra time] |
| 1938 | Preston North End | 1 | 0 | Huddersfield |
| 1939 | Portsmouth | 4 | 1 | Wolves [after extra time] |
© Richard Thorpe, 2002
Bibliography
'Football, Fainting and Fatalities' by J Walton History Today Vo; 53 [1] Jan 2003 p10-17
'Sport International' ed C. Harvey [1960]
'The World We Left Behind' by R. Kee 1984
'Old Hawkins Almanac 1939' 2003 R. Thorpe
Related article: A Brief History of Spanish Football before 1945