Suffolk and Ipswich Football League

Suffolk and Ipswich Football League
Founded1896
First season1896–97
CountryEngland
DivisionsPremier
Championship
Division 2-5
Level on pyramidLevel 11 (Senior Division)
Feeder toEastern Counties League
Promotion toEastern Counties League
Division One
Domestic cup(s)Suffolk Senior Cup
Suffolk Senior Reserve Cup
Suffolk Junior Cup
Suffolk Primary Cup
League cup(s)Morrison Freight Cup
Divisional Cup
Reserve Cup
Current championsOld Newton United (Senior Division)
Somersham (Division One)
(2024–25)
WebsiteOfficial website

The Suffolk and Ipswich Football League is a football competition based in Suffolk, England. The league has a total of six divisions; the Premier Division, Championship and Division 2-5. Only first teams of member clubs are permitted to play in the Premier Division and Championship. Divisions 2-5 contains teams, Reserve and 'A' teams of member clubs. Reserve teams must have one full division separating them and their first team counterpart; Reserve and 'A' teams may not be in the same division but do not require separation. Teams are arranged in to their divisions at the Annual General Meeting

The Senior Division is at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System. The league was founded in 1896 as the Ipswich & District League changing its name in 1978.

The Senior Division champions may apply for promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division One. Clubs from the league to progress up the pyramid include Whitton United, Sudbury Town, Hadleigh United, Woodbridge Town, Needham Market, Walsham-le-Willows, Debenham LC, and Halesworth Town.

The league is affiliated to the Suffolk County Football Association.

History

The Ipswich and District League was established in 1896 at the initiative of Frederick Gibbons, the secretary of St Lawrence Works.[1] Gibbons placed an advert in the East Anglian Daily Times stating that he intended to launch a football league for Ipswich and the surrounding area.[2] The inaugural meeting on 10 September 1896 was attended by officials from 18 clubs including Brantham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Orwell Works. Local MP Daniel Ford Goddard, who became the league's first president, promised to provide a trophy for the league, and the league commenced in October with two divisions of eight clubs.[1] Although Ipswich Town had opted not to join, several other clubs that had not attended the initial meeting did, including Felixstowe Town, Stowmarket and Woodbridge Old St Mary's.[1]

Divisions between the Amateur Football Association (AFA) and the Football Association (which had created a split in the Suffolk County Football Association) led to a small number of clubs leaving the league (which was affiliated to the AFA) in 1910 and setting up a rival FA Ipswich & District League.[3] More clubs left the AFA version of the league in 1911, which ran with just twelve clubs across its two divisions.[3] Although 21 clubs attended the league's annual general meeting in August 1912 and it was initially agreed to have ten clubs in Division One and eleven in Division Two, seven of the clubs elected to Division One walked out of the meeting.[3] the 1912–13 season saw ten clubs compete in the AFA version of the league and 14 in the FA version, a situation that continued in 1913–14.[3] Although the dispute between the AFA and FA were resolved in 1914, resulting in rival leagues merging to form a three-division competition, the outbreak of World War I saw the league abandoned in September 1914.[3]

When the league resumed in 1919 it had grown to five divisions. Division One was renamed the Premier Division in 1950, with a new Division One created above the sectional Division Twos.[4] By 1971 the league had expanded to ten divisions.[5] In 1978 the league was renamed the Suffolk & Ipswich League and the Premier Division became the Senior Division.[6]

For the 2025-26 season, the Senior Division was renamed Premier Division and Division 1 was renamed to Championship.[7]

2025–26 members

Premier Division

AFC Kesgrave | Bacton United 89 | Coplestonians | Debenham LC | East Bergholt United | Grundisburgh | Haughley United | Henley Athletic | Leiston St Margarets | Old Newton United | Saxmundham Sports | Sporting 87 | Stowupland Falcons | Tattingstone United | Trimley Red Devils | Whitton United | Wickham Market

Championship

Achilles | Capel Plough | Claydon | Cockfield United | Coddenham Athletic | Gipping Gnats | Kesgrave Kestrels | Kirton Athletic | Ransomes Sports | Stanton Community | Thurston | Witnesham Wasps | Woolverstone United

Division Two

Bacton United 89 Reserves | Coplestonians Reserves | East Bergholt United Reserves | Elmswell Community | Framlingham Town 'A' | Halesworth Town Development | Haughley United Reserves | Henley Athletic Reserves | Occold | Samuels | Sporting 87 Reserves | Stonham Aspal | Trimley Red Devils Reserves

Division Three

AFC Kesgrave Reserves | Benhall St Mary | Grundisburgh Reserves | Hadleigh United Brettsiders | Hope Church | Ipswich Exiles | Laxfield | Old Newton United | Ransomes Sports Reserves | Sporting 87 'A' | Stowupland Falcons Reserves | Whitton United Reserves

Division Four

AFC Kesgrave 'A' | Bramford United | Brooks Hall Rovers | Capel Plough Reserves | Cockfield United Reserves | Coplestonians Development | Elmswell Community Reserves | Kesgrave Kestrels Reserves | Kirton Athletic Reserves | Leiston St Margarets Reserves | Redgrave Rangers Reserves | Saxmundham Sports Reserves | Woolverstone United Reserves

Division Five

Achilles Reserves | Bacton United 89 ‘A’ | Benhall St Mary Reserves | Claydon Reserves | Coldham Hall | East Bergholt United 'A' | Kesgrave Kestrels Development | Mendlesham | Thurston Reserves | Witnesham Wasps Reserves

List of divisional champions

Season Division One Division Two
1896–97 Stowmarket St Matthews
1897–98 Stowmarket West End Excelsiors
1898–99 Woodbridge Old St Marys Brantham Athletic
1899–1900 Stowmarket St Peters
1900–01 Leiston St Clements Rangers
1901–02 Leiston Leiston reserves
1902–03 Leiston Westgate Ward Liberals
1903–04 28th RGA Landguard Woodbridge Town
1904–05 Orwell Works Westbourne Athletic
1905–06 Orwell Works Westbourne Mills
1906–07 Orwell Works Stoke Athletic
1907–08 Stowmarket St Clements United
1908–09 Westbourne Mills Woodbridge Town
1909–10 Stowmarket Stowmarket reserves
1910–11 Felixstowe Town Stowmarket reserves
1911–12 Orwell Works All Saints United
1912–13 Woodbridge Town (AFA)
Stowmarket (FA)		 Hadleigh (AFA)
G Battery RHA (FA)
1913–14 Walton United (AFA)
Stowmarket (FA)		 Stoke Athletic and YMCA jointly (AFA)
Brantham Athletic (FA)
Season Premier Division Division Two A Division Two B
1919–20 Bury United Life Bridgade Old Boys Stoke Athletic
1920–21 Walton United Great Eastern Railway Stoke Guild
1921–22 Stowmarket St Marys Elms Old Boys Woodbridge Comrades
1922–23 Harwich & Parkeston Manganese Bronze Woodbridge Comrades
1923–24 RAF Martlesham Bramford Works Clarkson Street Athletic
1924–25 RAF Felixstowe HMS Ganges Leiston St Margarets
1925–26 Walton United Manningtree Woodbridge Town
1926–27 HMS Ganges St Johns Kingsway Athletic
1927–28 HMS Ganges Shotley Swifts Kingsway Athletic
1928–29 Lowestoft Waveney Athletic Ipswich Town reserves Aldeburgh Town
1929–30 Newmarket Town Parkeston Railway reserves Stoke Institute
1930–31 Stoke Institute Ipswich Town reserves Orwell Works reserves
1931–32 RAF Martlesham Barham House Ipswich Town reserves
1932–33 Orwell Works Needham Market Ipswich Town reserves
1933–34 Newmarket Town Hadleigh United Ipswich Town reserves
1934–35 Sudbury Town Parkeston Railway Atlas
1935–36 Orwell Works Parkeston Railway Melton St Andrews
1936–37 Felixstowe Town Manningtree Rovers Wickham Market
1937–38 Orwell Works Manningtree Rovers Leiston
1938–39 Orwell Works Stoke United Melton St Andrews
1945–46 Achilles and HMS Ganges jointly No Division Two
1946–47 Whitton United Needham Market
1947–48 Whitton United Needham Market Bramford Road Old Boys
1948–49 Achilles Hadleigh & District Grundisburgh
1949–50 Waterside Works Great Blakenham Grundisburgh
Season Premier Division
1950–51 Waterside Works Grundisburgh
1951–52 Waterside Works Great Blakenham
1952–53 Sudbury Town Needham Market
1953–54 Hadleigh United Landseer
1954–55 Waterside Works RAF Martlesham
1955–56 Waterside Works Eastern Old Boys
1956–57 Hadleigh United Christchurch Athletic
1957–58 Felixstowe Town Orwell Works
1958–59 Waterside Works Ipswich Lads Club
1959–60 Electric Supply Grundisburgh
1960–61 Orwell Works Ranelagh Road Old Boys
1961–62 Orwell Works Ranelagh Road Old Boys
1962–63 Waterside Works Heath Row
1963–64 Waterside Works Melton United
1964–65 Felixstowe Town Priory Heath Old Boys
1965–66 Whitton United Westerfield United
1966–67 Electric Supply Priory Heath Old Boys
1967–68 Whitton United Wetheringsett
1968–69 Electric Supply Rushmere Athetic
1969–70 ICI Paints Nicholians
1970–71 Heath Row Woodbridge Town
1971–72 Nicholians Bull Motors
1972–73 Hadleigh United Bull Motors
1973–74 Nicholians Locomotive Alan Road
1974–75 Crane Sports Stutton
1975–76 Nicholians Wickham Market
1976–77 Hadleigh United Haughley United
1977–78 Bull Motors Caribbeans
Season Senior Division Division One
1978–79 Hadleigh United Murrayside
1979–80 Nicholians Locomotive Coplestonians
1980–81 Ransomes Bramford Road Old Boys
1981–82 Westerfield United Old Newton United
1982–83 Haughley United Halesworth Town
1983–84 Westerfield United Leiston
1984–85 Westerfield United BT Research
1985–86 Achilles Murrayside
1986–87 RSSC Ransomes Woodbridge Town
1987–88 Achilles YMCA Fonnereau Athletic
1988–89 Woodbridge Town Halesworth Town
1989–90 Grundisburgh Walsham-le-Willows
1990–91 Grundisburgh Melton St Audrys
1991–92 Framlingham Town Westerfield United
1992–93 Whitton United Achilles
1993–94 Grundisburgh Nicholians
1994–95 Whitton United Walsham-le-Willows
1995–96 Needham Market
1996–97 Haughley United
1997–98 Grundisburgh
1998–99 Walton United
1999–2000 Grundisburgh
2000–01 Grundisburgh
2001–02 Walsham-le-Willows
2002–03 Walsham-le-Willows Cockfield United
2003–04 East Bergholt United AFC Debenham
2004–05 East Bergholt United Stonham Aspal
2005–06 East Bergholt United Coplestonians
2006–07 Grundisburgh Stonham Aspal
2007–08 Brantham Athletic Woodbridge Athletic
2008–09 Grundisburgh Old Newton United
2009–10 Old Newton United Haughley United
2010–11 Grundisburgh Leiston St Margarets
2011–12 Woodbridge Athletic Coplestonians
2012–13 Ipswich Valley Rangers Westerfield United
2013–14 Achilles Bramford United
2014–15 Crane Sports Ipswich Athletic
2015–16 Crane Sports Ransomes Sports
2016–17 Henley Athletic Benhall St Mary
2017–18 Achilles Claydon
2018–19 Crane Sports Old Newton United
2019–20 League abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21
2021–22 Henley Athletic Sporting 87
2022–23 Henley Athletic Stowupland Falcons
2023–24 Henley Athletic Thurston
2024–25 Old Newton United Somersham

Domestic Cups

Teams from the league are entered into 4 of the County's 5 County Cup competitions.[8]

  • Suffolk Senior Cup: Premier Division sides
  • Suffolk Senior Reserve Cup: Division 2 to 5 sides, that are reserve teams of teams playing in the Senior Cup
  • Suffolk Junior Cups: Championship and Division 2 Sides
  • Suffolk Primary Cup: Division 3 to 5 sides

They compete against other sides that are affiliated to Suffolk FA but play in other leagues. These leagues include Cambridgeshire County, Anglian Combination, Essex & Suffolk Border, Lowerstoft & District1 and Central & South Norfolk1.

1 No teams from this league enter the Senior Cup

League Cups

The league also runs a league cup, known as the Morrison Freight sponsored Bob Coleman Cup (or the Morrison Freight Cup). It has previously been known as the Omnico Cup and the McNeil League Knock–Out Cup[2]

List of winners

Cup Eligibility

  • Morrison Freight Cup: for teams in the Premier Division and Divisions 1, plus non-reserve sides in Division 2 and first team sides in Division 3 that have a reserve team. Premier Division teams enter at the last 32 stage.
  • Reserve Cup: for Reserve teams whose first team is in the Morrision Freight Cup.
  • Divisional Cup: for teams in Divisions 3-5, not playing in the Morrison Freight Cup or the Reserve Cup

References

  1. ^ a b c Keith Wood (1995). Five Score: The SIL Football Book of the Century. Suffolk & Ipswich Football League. pp. 5–8. ISBN 0952627205.
  2. ^ a b League History Suffolk & Ipswich League
  3. ^ a b c d e Wood, pp. 26–38
  4. ^ Wood, p. 87
  5. ^ Wood, p. 161
  6. ^ Wood, p. 184
  7. ^ "SIL AGM 2025". Suffolk Ipswich League. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Appendix C for 2025-26" (PDF). Suffolk FA County Cup Rules & Documents. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
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