The London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964. In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. (which later reformed as West Ham United). One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was Francis Payne, club secretary of Thames Ironworks F.C. in 1897. The league started with three divisions, the 3rd Grenadier Guards winning the inaugural championship. The league fluctuated between having a single division and reaching four divisions. Before World War I, most of the senior London Football League clubs fielded a reserve side in the London League. In 1964, the London League ceased to exist, merging with the Aetolian League to form the Greater London League, which then further merged in 1971 with the Metropolitan League to form the Metropolitan–London League. This later merged into the Spartan League, which in turn merged into the modern Spartan South Midlands League. Champions London League Division One 1896–1897 – 3rd Grenadier Guards 1897–1898 – Thames Ironworks 1898–1899 – Tottenham Hotspur Reserves 1899–1901 – Millwall Athletic Reserves 1901–1902 – West Ham United 1902–1903 – Tottenham Hotspur 1903–1904 – Woolwich Arsenal Reserves 1904–1905 – Southall 1908–1909 – Brentford Reserves London League Division Two 1896–1897 – Bromley 1897–1898 – Barnet 1898–1899 – Monsteds Athletic F.C. 1899–1900 – Fulham 1900–1901 – Airdrieonians 1901–1902 – East Greenwich Gas Works F.C. 1902–1903 – Brentford Reserves 1903–1904 – Catford Southend 1904–1905 – Clapton Orient Reserves 1911/1912 - Peel institute London League Premier Division 1901–1902 – West Ham United 1902–1903 – Tottenham Hotspur 1903–1904 – Millwall 1908–1909 – West Ham United London League Division One A 1909–1910 – Barking In 1920, a third division, known as Division Two was added In 1924, Division Two was disbanded In 1939, the league was suspended due to the outbreak of World War II. On the resumption of football after the War, nineteen clubs played in the London League, split into Western and Eastern Divisions. Eastern Division champions Woolwich Polytechnic beat Eastern Champions Edgware Town 2–1 in a play-off In 1946, the divisions were re-organised, and a new structure of a Premier Division and a Division One was formed Within 12 months, enough clubs had joined to form a new Division Two In 1953, Division Two was disbanded In 1956, Division One was disbanded, leaving only a