ðə kˌɑːmpətˈɪʃən wʌz ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli hˈɛld ɪn fˈoːɹ ɡɹˈuːps ʌv fˈoːɹtiːn klˈʌbz ˈiːtʃ ʌntˈɪl nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti ˈeɪt sˈɪksti nˈaɪn, wˌɛn ðə kˌɑːmpətˈɪʃən wʌz ɹᵻfˈoːɹmæɾᵻd tə kəntˈeɪn tˈuː ɡɹˈuːps.
The competition was originally held in four groups of 14 clubs each until 1968–69, when the competition was reformatted to contain two groups.