WWII & Sports: What Changed?

Rebeca Cole
2025-05-13 21:06:18
Count answers: 6
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.
Read also
- WWII: Did They Still Play Sports?
- Sports and the Cold War: What Was the Connection?
- Football During WWII: Did It Stop?
- Miracle on Ice: Did it Affect the Cold War?
- Did a War Really Stop for Football?
- WWII Bans: What Was Off Limits?
- Miracle on Ice: What Was the Score?
- Closest Sport to War?
- First World War: What Sports Did They Play?
- Football Banned? Why, and When in the UK?
- Did Anyone Win the Christmas Truce Match of 1914?
- WWII Food Scarcity: What Was Hardest to Find?
- Biggest Offensive of WWII?
- Miracle on Ice: Just a Game?
- Hockey in the Olympics: How Did It Happen?
- Hardest Sport Ever: What Is It?