LEAGUE FIXTURE SECRETARY - Mr Alan Thomas 01865 558003.

OXFORD CITY F.A. GROUNDS 2000/01

PREMIER DIVISION.

AFC JERICHO. - Horspath Rd, Cowley. Sec Mr T Doliamie 01865 453390

BARTON - Horspath Rd, Cowley. Sec Mrs K Butler 01865 434146

BLACKBIRD LEYS - Sports Centre, Pegasus Rd (Ground is in the centre of the estate). Sec Mr A Beal 01865 453666

COWLEY WORKERS - Ashurst Way, Rose Hill. Sec Mr D Kinch 01865 430175

FAIRVIEW - Horspath Rd, Cowley. Sec Mr S Hands 01865 244365

GREAT MILTON - Centre of Village (Great Milton is eight miles east of Oxford). Sec Mr P Simms 01844 279776

NORTH OXFORD - Cutteslowe Park, via Harbord Rd, North Oxford. Sec Mr A Thomas 01865 558003

OLD HEADINGTON - Court Place Farm (Outer), Marston. Sec Mr D Page Jnr 01865 768305

QUARRY NOMADS "A" - Sandy Lane PF, Blackbird Leys Rd, Cowley. Sec Mr K Dolton 01865 450256

TETSWORTH - Village Green, on A40. Sec Mr D Nicholls 01844 281653

DIVISION ONE

AFC JERICHO RES - Horspath Rd, Cowley.

ASTON FC - Cote Rd, Aston Nr Bampton, West Oxfordshire. Sec Mr D Ball 01993 850131

BECKLEY SPORTS - Woodperry Rd (Beckley is two miles North of Headington from the McDonalds Roundabout. Sec Mr A Leee 01865 450361

EAST OXFORD - Cowley Marsh, Oxford Rd, Cowley. Sec Mr B Felix 01865 770943

NUFFIELD ARMS - Sandy Lane PF, Blackbird Leys Rd, Cowley. Sec Mr S Barson 01865 437446

OXFORD COMMUNITY CHURCH - Westminster College, Elms Rise, Botley. Sec Mr K Luff 01865 722876

QUARRY NOMADS "B" - Sandy Lane PF, Blackbird Leys Rd, Cowley.

THE CAVALIER - Court Place Farm Outer, Marston. Sec Mr A Varney 01865 742875

UNION STREET - Ground T.B.A. Sec Mr M Ginsburg 01865 721636

R.T. HARRIS OXFORD CITY F.A. 2000/01

The A.G.M. of the City F.A. took place at the Pressed Steel social club on Tuesday 27th June. Five new teams applied for membership, they were Quarry Nomads "A", AFC Jericho Res, Old Headington, Union Street and AFC Rycroft. AFC Rycroft failed to attended the meeting, the remaining clubs were elected en-bloc.

From last season's Premier Division Team Unipart have withdrawn from the league. Promoted to the Premier Division are Division One champions AFC Jericho and Quarry Nomads “A”, who change their title to Reserves. The only club to be relegated were bottom placed Beckley Sports. Old Headington were accepted straight into the Premier Division as they are transferring from the Chiltern Churches League. They have a good record in the Oxfordshire Junior Shield.

Division One loses no clubs, but gains AFC Jericho Res, Union Street and the relegated Beckley Sports. The league as a whole increases it’s numbers by one club, with ten teams in the Premier Division and eleven in Division One.

The new season of the City F.A. starts on Saturday 2nd September

HISTORY OF THE OXFORD CITY F.A.

The Oxford City was founded in 1891, which makes it the second oldest Association in Oxfordshire behind the Lord Jersey which was formed in 1887. In the early years of the Association clubs were placed in sections and the winners of each section played off on a knock out basis to find the overall winner. Should a group winner be ascertained before all games in a section had been played, the remainder of the group games remained unplayed. It was not uncommon for clubs to play in the Oxford & District League as well as the Oxford City League.

In 1894/95 the sections were abandoned due to a backlog of fixtures and the competition was played out on a knock-out basis. In 1894 the then Headington United joined the Association this was their first taste of competitive football, having only been formed a year earlier. Many long gone names were members in the last century, which such clubs as Victoria, Temperance and Oxford Institute being to the fore. Institute completed a hat-trick of titles between 1907 and 1910. The club were so strong that their 2nd XI managed to beat Headington United's first XI 4-0 on the 11th January 1908. Though this feat was surpassed in the same season as Oxford Y.M.C.A. 2nd XI completed the double over Headington with a aggregate score of 10-0 !.

Foresters completed a double success in season's 1910/11 and 1911/12, the latter season saw them beat the emerging Headington 1-0 at Oxford City's ground in a replay. The 1919/20 season final saw the pairing of Headington United versus Cowley Lilywhites, the Lilywhites came out on top by 1-0 in front of an estimated 3,000 crowd at the White House Ground. Until 1921 the City F.A. was vying with the District League for the top teams in and around the City. With the formation of the Oxfordshire Senior League in 1921 and the inclusion of teams form the Banbury area plus Witney F.C., the league was forced to take a step down the local ladder.

The first season of the Senior League saw the City League won by Morris Motors Reserves who's senior side were members of the Senior League. Morris Motors who along with Cowley Lilywhite's were to threaten Oxford City's standing as the City's top club in the 1920's and 1930's, both clubs were later to progress to much higher leagues. In the period between 1920 and the outbreak of the Second World War saw Littlemore win four title's, the only other side to win the City F.A. on more than one occasion in that period was Stephen Reiss who won it in 1930/31 and 1931/32.

The first few years after the Second World War not only saw the introduction of a bona fida first division, but also saw one of two well known names win honours. Season 1949/50 saw Quarry's name appear in the winners list for the first time, the club won the Challenge Cup. Though the teams of the early post war years were without doubt Littlemore, Wolvercote, South Oxford United and University Press, between them they won seventeen of the twenty nine main titles available between 1947 and 1961. The start of the 1951/52 season saw the introduction of a second division, and by 1957/58 the league was extended to three divisions. A Six-a-Side competition was introduced in 1957, and by chance the first winners were Quarry Nomads !.

A number of clubs who have achieved higher status have started life in the City F.A., Old Salesians won the Division One title in 1959/60 and then went on to win the Premier Division title in both 1960/61 and 1961/62. Headington Amateurs also won the title two years running in 1963/64 and 1964/65. The 1960's and 1970's also saw a number of clubs from outside the City compete in the league, the then Berkshire based Kennington were prominent members along with sides from the south of the county. Berinsfield, Benson, Warborough, Little Milton, and Dorchester were all amongst the honours. Berinsfield won the Division One title in 1974/75, followed by the Premier title in 1975/76.

The start of the 1980's saw a decline in members from outside the City and an influx of local based sides, between 1978/79 and 1996/97 the title was won by City in every season except for Stadhampton's win in 1984/85 and Wheatley's win in 1991/92. The last few years have seen clubs move on from the City F.A, many have progressed to the Senior League, they include Marlborough, Oxford Stadium, Northway, Wheatley United, Horspath, Kennington United and Marston Saints. Though Woodstock Arms despite being a Oxford based side have now tried their luck in the Lord Jersey F.A.

One of the sad aspects of looking back through histories of leagues is to see the sides that are no more, as is the case in many large Town's and City's a number of ground disappear to the developers. The names of John Allen Sports and Lucy Sports are two former members of the league that spring to mind in this latter category.