WWII & Sports: What Changed?

The declaration of war in 1939 meant both The Football League and the FA Cup were suspended indefinitely. Over 780 footballers signed up to fight on the front line, leaving many of England’s best teams depleted. As a result, teams like Wolves, Liverpool, Huddersfield, Leicester and Charlton were left with nearly 350 fewer players between them. This meant that teams were permitted to field guest players to play for their sides in the ten regional “mini-leagues” which were established in 1939. To fill the void left by the FA Cup, a special War Cup was established by the Football League to boost morale and to keep the game going. The Football League returned to somewhat normality in the 1945-46 season, but the wartime league structure continued for one more year. As of the 1946-47 season, the league returned to its pre-war format of First Division, Second Division, Third Division North, Third Division South.