North Lancashire and District Football League to fold at end of season

The North Lancashire and District Football League is to fold, ending more than a century of local grassroots football.

Many thousands of local footballers have played in the league over the years, which will dissolve in the summer, following a sharp decline in participating teams.

The league, which is believed was first formed in 1919, held a Special General Meeting on Monday evening (March 24) where dissolution of the long-standing grassroots competition was discussed.

It's now been announced the league will fold on June 1, following the completion of the 2023-24 season.

There has been a gradual decrease in the number of teams participating in the NL&DFL in recent years. Just 10 years ago, in the 2013/14 season, the league consisted of 58 individual teams across five divisions.

Teams have left the NL&DFL to join other local leagues in recent years, such as the West Lancashire, Craven and District Westmorland and Mid Lancashire Leagues.

This season, the NL&DFL’s first as a one-division format, started out with 13 teams, which included a first and reserve team from Marsh United.

Numbers soon declined, as the majority of the squad from King George joined up with West Lancashire League side Slyne with Hest. Then, Highgrove Reserves left the league while Cancer Care - one of the league’s most recently-founded entrants - and Lancaster Boys Club - one of the local area’s most historic clubs – also folded, leaving the league with just nine teams between now and the end of the season.

The NL&DFL still has its final rounds of league fixtures to play before its conclusion in May, along with the latter stages of the league‘s cup competitions, the finals of which have often taken place at the likes of Morecambe, Lancaster City and Kendal Town in recent years.

The final game for the historic league will be Senior Challenge Cup final at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on May 20.

Thousands of amateur footballers have played in the league, perhaps  most notably Alan Taylor, who scored twice in the FA Cup final for West Ham United in 1975.

The remaining teams in the North Lancashire and District Football League are Bay Rangers, Castle, Caton United Colts, Marsh United Firsts, Marsh United Reserves, Middleton & Overton Sport Reserves, Pause United Reserves, Scorton Saints and Westgate Hawks.