When, in 1885, a group of clubs from the North West were on the verge of leaving the FA to form The British Football Association the FA eventually legalised professionalism, thus avoiding the type of 'great schism' that divided rugby a decade later. Professionalism was almost exclusively advocated and practised by clubs based in the more proletarian areas of the country,and the composition of the new league reflected this, with all 12 teams coming from a relatively small area in the Midlands and North West of England. Interestingly the league would only admit one club per town.
In order to generate the necessary income to support professionalism clubs needed a formalised programme of guaranteed fixtures.
Other social developments aided the development of a professional football league.
The Factory Act of 1856 stipulated that all work would end on Saturday at 2 p.m., thus creating protected leisure time for the working man to watch or play football, and the development of the railways was also important, enabling teams to fulfil fixtures and supporters to follow their teams.
Accrington F.C.was founded in 1876. Suspended by the FA in 1883 for paying players. They dropped out of the league in 1893 and closed in 1896. Not the later club Accrington Stanley.
Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan
Chapel. Won the FA Cup and Football League 'double' in 1896–97. In 1981 the won
the European Cup. They will play the 2012-13 season in the first tier
of the English pyramid.
Blackburn Rovers founded 1875. They will play the 2012-13 season in the second tier of the English pyramid.
Bolton Wanderers. Founded as
Christ Church FC in 1874 by Reverend Thomas Ogden, the schoolmaster at Christ Church .
The club changed its name to Bolton Wanderers in 1877.They will play the 2012-13 season in the second tier of the English pyramid.
Burnley. In
May 1882, Burnley Rovers Football Club decided to change from rugby to football. They will play the 2012-13 season in the second tier of the English pyramid.
Derby County Football Club was formed in 1884, as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club who were seeking to generate extra revenue. They will play the 2012-13 season in the second tier of the English pyramid.
Everton was founded as St Domingo's in 1878
when the cricketers of St Domingo's Methodist Church decided to play sport year round .The club was renamed Everton F.C. in 1879. The only club to have played over 100 seasons in the top flight of English football, they will play the 2012-13 season in the first tier
of the English pyramid.
Notts County are the oldest professional league club in the world having been formed in 1862, pre-dating the The Football Association and initially playing its own variant of football. They will play the 2012-13 season in the third tier of the English pyramid.
Preston North End were founded as a cricket club in 1863
and played their first football match in 1878, having tried their hand at Rugby from 1875. They completed the FA Cup and Football League 'double' in
1888–89, not losing a league game and not conceding a goal in the knockout competition.
They will play the 2012-13 season in the third tier of the English pyramid.
Stoke F.C. was formed in 1863 under the name Stoke Ramblers, by pupils of Charterhouse School engaged as apprentices at the North Staffordshire Railway works.
In 1878, the club merged with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club, and became Stoke Football Club. Stoke became a city in 1928, and the club changed their name accordingly.They will play the 2012-13 season in the first tier of the English pyramid.
West Bromwich Albion was founded as West Bromwich Strollers in 1878 by workers from George Salter's Spring Works. They were renamed in 1880. They will play the 2012-13 season in the first tier of the English pyramid.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were founded as St. Luke's in 1877 by pupils at St Luke's Church school in Blakenhall . In 1879 they merged with local cricket and football club The Wanderers, to form Wolverhampton Wanderers. They will play the 2012-13 season in the second tier of the English pyramid.
The Football League 1888-89- final table:
P W D L F A W D L F A Pts
1. PRESTON NORTH END 22 10 1 0 39 7 8 3 0 35 8 40
2. Aston Villa 22 10 0 1 44 16 2 5 4 17 27 29
3. Wolverhampton W. 22 8 2 1 30 14 4 2 5 20 23 28
4. Blackburn Rovers 22 7 4 0 44 22 3 2 6 22 23 26
5. Bolton Wanderers 22 6 0 5 35 30 4 2 5 28 29 22
6. West Bromwich A. 22 6 2 3 25 24 4 0 7 15 22 22
7. Accrington 22 5 3 3 26 17 1 5 5 22 31 20
8. Everton 22 8 0 3 24 17 1 2 8 11 29 20
9. Burnley 22 6 3 2 21 19 1 0 10 21 43 17
10. Derby County 22 5 1 5 22 20 2 1 8 19 41 16
11. Notts County 22 4 2 5 25 32 1 0 10 15 41 12
12. Stoke 22 3 4 4 15 18 1 0 10 11 33 12
