Loughborough & District League medal 1896-97.
The Loughborough & District League was formed in 1896, at the time when there was already a junior league serving the Loughborough area (North Leicestershire League, which was formed a year earlier). The Loughborough & District League quickly became one of the top junior leagues in the county, regularly promoting teams to the Leicestershire Senior League. Twelve clubs competed for the inaugural Loughborough & District League competition – Belton Villa, Bardon Wanderers, Barrow Excelsior, Hathern Victoria, Loughborough Emmanuel, Loughborough Park, Loughborough Victoria, Markfield Albion, Mountsorrel Castle, Mountsorrel St Peters, Rothley Swifts, Woodhouse Rovers. Hathern Victoria won the title. A second division was added in 1898 and a third division in 1904. But a decline set in during the 1930’s. Two events saw the demise of this league, the first being the creation of the Loughborough & District Amateur Football Alliance in 1931-32, and the reforming of the Leicestershire Senior League in 1934-35, both of which saw teams resign from the Loughborough & District League.