Over 1,500 Leicestershire clubs played competitive and non-competitive football during the nineteenth century. These clubs/teams can be divided into the following broad categories, based on the level of football played:
- Pre-1879
- Recreationl (friendly matches only)
- Minor (Leicestershire Challenge Shield, Leicester Town League, lower District League divisions)
- Junior (Leicestershire Junior Cup, District Leagues, local Charity Cups etc)
- Senior (Leicestershire Senior League, Leicestershire Senior Cup, local/regional Charity Cups etc)
- Professional (FA Cup, regional Charity Cups, Football League, Midland League, United League, United Counties League)
Approximately 350 of these clubs participated in local and regional/national league and cup competitions. The competition record of each are given below:
The remaining 1200 or so clubs played only friendly matches. These clubs along with the seasons in which they were ‘active’ can be found below:
Pre-1879 Leicestershire Football Clubs
Leicestershire Football Clubs that played Friendly Matches during the 1880s
Leicestershire Football Clubs that played Friendly Matches during the 1890s