Who we are:

The Midland Football Combination (MFC) is an amateur football league based in the heart of England. The league is a member of the Football Association's (F.A.) National League System and as such is fully regulated by the Football Association.

The league was established in 1927 and from its modest roots in Worcestershire has grown today to be a leading exponent of amateur non-league football in Worcestershire, West Midlands, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

Our Membership:

For the 2010/11 season the MFC comprises 64 independent non-league football clubs entering 78 teams into competition. The clubs are drawn from all of the counties mentioned above and come not only from the major metropolitan centres such as Birmingham and Coventry but also from the smaller towns and indeed the rural areas on the boundaries of the region.

Our Competition:

The MFC has four divisions and a Reserve division. The Premier Division has 19 teams and is entered at Step Six of the F.A.'s National League System, which, in addition to the league & local cup competitions, grants its membership entry into the prestigious F.A. Cup (beginning at the preliminary rounds) and the F.A. Vase.

Below the Premier Division the MFC has its Division One (at Step Seven of the National League System), Division Two (in negotiations to enter the National League System at Step Eight), Division Three and the Reserve Division. The latter is comprised of the Reserve teams of member clubs from the higher divisions as well as other Reserve sides of non-member clubs from a higher level within the National League System.

In addition to the league competitions the MFC organises a number of cup competitions that run along side the leagues and enters a Select team into the F.A. Carlsberg NLS Cup - in which the MFC team reached the final in the 2007/08 season.

Our History:

The Midland Football Combination began life as the Worcestershire Combination following an inaugural meeting on April 27th 1927 initiated by Messer's Rivers and Bloye.

However, when the Worcestershire County F.A. approved the formation of the new league it also made a stipulation that no clubs further than three miles south of the headquarters' but the league was open to any club north of the headquarters. The first league champions were Blackheath Town in 1928 and the following year Halesowen Labour Club were the new leagues first cup winners, there is no recorded history of the gate but receipts were Five pounds, eleven shillings and sixpence. In 1930 the Worcester Combination were granted affiliation to the Birmingham County FA, and consequently the league were able to attract teams from a wider geographical area, average gates for teams such as Catshill Village Hall in the thirties were four hundred, the team shortly before the outbreak of the second world war took several coaches to Belgium which they duly won. The league reassembled in 1948 following the end of the war with sixteen clubs with only Jack Moulds Athletic, Stourport Swifts and Stourbridge Reserves were members prior to the war. Jack moulds Athletic won the first post-war league title, Bourneville Athletic won the first title of the new decade, the club boasted twenty teams with all the players working at the Cadbury factory.

Wolverhampton Wanderers became the only league team to enter the Combination following the reserve team's entry in 1950.

The sixties saw the name of Alvechurch projected onto the national stage, they joined the league in 1961 and quickly gained success winning the league four times and finishing runners up five times in twelve years. It was in the F.A. Amateur Cup that they became known nationally when in the 1964/65 season they reached the quarter-final, the last eight fixture took place in front of 13,000 spectators but Enfield won 3-1, the following season Alvechurch reached the semi-final which was played at Stamford Bridge but were beaten 1-0 by Weadlstone. In 1971 Alvechurch played in the longest ever F.A. Cup tie finally defeating Oxford City after five replays.

With the geographical spread of the league growing the decision was made to rename the league the Midland Football Combination. Around the same time Highgate United were making a name for themselves locally and nationally, however, tragedy struck in the F.A. Amateur Cup quarter final on 25th February when Enfield were the visitors, Highgate defender Tony Allden was struck by lightning and sadly passed away the following day in Solihull Hospital. The replayed game took place at Villa Park in front of 31,632 spectators standing in pouring rain. Enfield won the replayed game, Highgate did reach the semi final but once again lost out after a replay to Walton & Hersham.

On December 6th 1982 the Football Association granted the league feeder status which meant that the league fed directly into the Southern League. By the end of the twentieth century the Midland Combination had become an all floodlit Premier Division and its clubs have continued to improve its facilities. Over the last few years the league has seen some of its clubs progress to higher levels. Leamington reformed and in their first season attracted over 10,000 spectators including a gate of 1,263 for the fixture against Rugby Town, since then Leamington have now progressed onto the Zamaretto league.