Thread by @scoutdesk

This day in 1939, the Football League was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Luftwaffe almost decimated the Polish town of Wielun on September 1, destroying more than 75% of the city and killing nearly 1,200 inhabitants. Two days later, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on the Nazis.

On 14 September, the British government announced that professional football under the umbrella of the Football League was to be stopped. However, establishment of separate regional leagues but with a fifty-mile travel limit was allowed.

The average attendance at stadiums took a huge toll as spectators were limited to just 8,000 which was later increased to 15,000.

The 1st season of wartime football saw 10 diff leagues established across Britain including two in the North, one in the East Midlands, one in the South West, one in the West Midlands, two in London & two in Scotland, which were divided into Western and Eastern Divisions.

The FA Cup was of course suspended as well but a Football League War Cup was invented so that the fans would continue to experience the magic of a cup competition.

The clubs and the leagues went through constant change throughout the war. As many players joined the Territorial Army to lend a hand in the war effort, clubs were forced to invite guest players to fill up the ranks. From 1929 to 1945, 784 footballers joined the British army.

The Football League returned for the 1946-47 season with its pre-war structure – First Division, Second Division and the Division 3 North and South.

The top flight saw Liverpool win their fifth league title, finishing just one point above rivals Manchester United. #LFC #MUFC

📷: The Guardian google.com/amp/s/amp.theg…