1914-15 Season

Highlights

Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914. Debate and controversy arose over whether professional football should continue while men were being encouraged to enlist. Cricket’s County Championship was cancelled, but football authorities decided to play on, arguing it maintained public morale.

The Football Association (FA) publicly announced on September 4, 1914, that it had placed itself at the disposal of the War Office and intensified match-day recruitment efforts.

Local clubs resigned from competitions as players joined the army and the navy.

The match between Manchester United and Liverpool (2-0 to Man Utd) took place on Good Friday (April 2, 1915). It later became the subject of the 1915 British football betting scandal and resulted in lifetime bans for seven players.

The FA Cup Final, nicknamed the “Khaki Final” due to the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance, was played at Old Trafford (April 24, 1915), having been moved from Crystal Palace due to wartime transport issues. Sheffield United defeated Chelsea 3-0. This was the last FA Cup Final until 1920.

Leicester Fosse played its final game of the professional season on April 24, 1915, losing 2-0 away to Clapton Orient. They finished 19th out of 20 clubs in the Football League Second Division, requiring them to seek re-election.

Despite their poor performance, Leicester Fosse was successfully re-elected to the Football League in May 1915.

The Football League formally suspended normal operations for the duration of the war in July 1915. Many local junior leagues closed at the end of the season for the duration of the war.

National/Regional League Competitions

National Cup Competitons

Leicestershire League Competitions

Leicestershire / Local Cup Competitions

Friendly Matches