Last updated : Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Wearside League
The Wearside League is a non-league football competition based in northern England. It consists of three divisions which sits at steps 7 to 9 (or levels 11 to 13) of the National League System and is a feeder to the Northern League Division Two.
History
The Wearside League was founded in 1892 at the instigation of Charles Kirtley, secretary of Sunderland Swifts. In June 1892, a letter written by Kirtley was published in the Sunderland Daily Post and The Herald in which he stated that he had been asked by several club secretaries about the possibility of forming an organisation to play home-and-home matches, so as to find out which was the best amateur team. A similar letter was published in the Sunderland Daily Echo. At a meeting soon afterwards at the Central Coffee Tavern, eleven clubs agreed to form a league, which commenced playing later that year.
The original clubs in the league were:
- Bishop Auckland
- Eppleton
- Hartlepool Rovers
- North Hylton
- Rye Hill
- Seaton Carew
- Southwick
- Sunderland Albion
- Sunderland Rovers
- Sunderland Swifts
- West Hartlepool
The Wearside League has been a breeding ground for many professional footballers, including:
- Stan Mortensen (Sunderland and England)
- Jackie Milburn (Sunderland and England)
- Bobby Robson (Sunderland, Fulham, Ipswich Town and England)
- Peter Beardsley (Sunderland, Newcastle United and England)
- Alan Shearer (Sunderland and Newcastle United)
Current season
The current season (2022-23) is the 131st season of the Wearside League. The First Division is currently being led by Redcar Athletic, while the Second Division is being led by Norton and Stockton Ancients.
