The magic of the Football League War Cup

A few hours later, on Sunday 3rd September, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany and ordered an immediate ban on the assembly of crowds for safety reasons. Faced with a potential long campaign, the Football League announced that the 1939/40 season would be terminated with immediate effect. Whilst Blackpool (and Luton Town in the Second, Accrington Stanley in the Third North and Reading in the Third South) topped their division, they were not awarded any trophy. However, regulations were soon relaxed and the government announced that football could return but with maximum capacities of 8,000 and no travel outside a fifty mile radius. So the guys at the Football League got their thinking caps on and came up with the idea of a cup competition instead of a league competition. And so was born the Football League War Cup.

from The Ball is Round http://ift.tt/2lceflQ