Amateur Football Alliance
An English county football association focused on preserving and administering amateur football, particularly in London and the Home Counties.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Amateur Football Alliance, commonly known as the Amateur FA or AFA, is an English county football association with an unusual structure: unlike most county football associations, it does not represent a defined geographic county. Its principal base is the London and Home Counties amateur football community, and its role is organized around the preservation, governance, and promotion of amateur football rather than the administration of one territorial district. The organization emerged during a period when professionalism was becoming increasingly dominant in English football. In May 1906, approximately 100 clubs from the London metropolitan area agreed to establish the Amateur Football Defence Council. The body was created in response to concern that the growth of professional football was weakening the traditions and institutional independence of amateur clubs. It was later renamed the Amateur Football Defence Federation and, in 1907, was reorganized as the Amateur Football Association. The 1907 reorganization followed a major decision by The Football Association requiring county associations to admit professional clubs. The new association's supporters argued that amateur football needed a separate organization capable of maintaining its own standards and traditions. Its stated purpose was not simply opposition to professionalism as a sporting practice, but resistance to what its founders regarded as the excessive commercial and administrative influence surrounding the game. Lord Alverstone became its first president, while the Corinthians offered a trophy for a new cup competition. The formation of the AFA produced a major institutional dispute with The Football Association. The FA prohibited amateur players from playing for professional clubs and attempted to discourage other national and regional football bodies from recognizing the new organization. Several clubs and institutions were forced to choose between the two associations. Cambridge University and Oxford University aligned with the AFA, while the Army and Royal Navy Football Associations remained with The FA. The AFA also sought international recognition, but FIFA did not admit it; in 1909, it joined with the French USFSA and the Bohemian ČSF to establish the UIAFA. The dispute was resolved in 1914 when The FA agreed to recognize the AFA's right to retain its amateur policy. The settlement gave the AFA representation on The FA Council, the national-team selection committee, and the Amateur Cup committee, while limiting the number of clubs that could join the AFA each year. The organization continued to provide a distinct administrative home for amateur clubs and competitions. The AFA changed its name to the Amateur Football Alliance in April 1934. Its principal competition is the AFA Senior Cup, contested by affiliated clubs in Saturday football. Its football ecosystem has included the Arthurian League and the Southern Amateur League, as well as the Amateur Football Combination before that competition's merger with the Southern Amateur League in July 2025. Former members have included clubs such as Ipswich Town, Barnet, Cambridge City, the Casuals, and the Corinthians; Old Etonians and Old Carthusians, both former FA Cup winners, remain associated with the AFA through the Arthurian League. The Alliance continues to emphasize competitive amateur football, fair play, respect for opponents and match officials, and the social traditions of club football. Some affiliated leagues preserve customs requiring host clubs to provide food and drink for visiting teams and match officials after matches, usually in a clubhouse or public house. The organization therefore combines regulatory and competition-management functions with a broader cultural mission: maintaining an amateur football environment in which sporting standards, club identity, hospitality, and community traditions remain central.
History
The Amateur Football Alliance developed from the organized amateur reaction to the increasing professionalization of English football in the early twentieth century. In May 1906, a meeting involving around 100 clubs from the London metropolitan area unanimously supported the creation of the Amateur Football Defence Council. Its purpose was to defend the institutional and sporting interests of amateur clubs at a time when professional football was gaining influence over the structures of the game. The organization soon adopted the name Amateur Football Defence Federation. In September 1906, it warned the London Football Association that its affiliated clubs intended to boycott the London Senior Cup in the following season. The dispute intensified after The Football Association decided at its general meeting on 31 May 1907 that county associations should admit professional clubs. The federation concluded that amateur football required a separate body and reorganized itself as the Amateur Football Association. The inaugural meeting of the new association took place on 7 July 1907 in the Crown Room of the Holborn Restaurant. Alfred Lyttelton MP addressed the meeting. B. A. Glanville of Clapham Rovers proposed the formation of the association, seconded by N. C. Bailey. The organization presented its objective as the protection of amateur football from the damaging effects of excessive commercial and administrative influence, rather than as a general rejection of professionalism in sport. Lord Alverstone was elected the first president, and the Corinthians offered a trophy for a new cup competition. The split produced significant consequences. The Football Association banned amateur players from appearing for professional clubs and refused to provide a professional team for the Sheriff of London Charity Shield. It also barred its members from playing in or providing facilities for the event and encouraged the Scottish, Welsh, and Irish associations not to recognize the AFA. Some clubs and institutions had to choose between the two bodies. Cambridge University declared for the AFA, followed by Oxford University, although Oxford had initially preferred neutrality. The Army and Royal Navy Football Associations held votes among their member clubs and remained with The FA. Leicestershire and Essex also supported The FA's position. The AFA attempted to obtain international recognition from FIFA but was not admitted. In March 1909 it helped establish the Union Internationale Amateur de Football Associations with the French USFSA and the Bohemian ČSF. The domestic dispute continued until 1914, when The FA accepted the AFA's right to maintain an amateur policy. Under the settlement, the AFA, Oxford, Cambridge, and the public schools could each nominate a representative to The FA Council. The AFA also gained representation on the national-team selection committee and the Amateur Cup committee, while an annual limit was placed on the number of clubs that could join it. The organization changed its name to the Amateur Football Alliance in April 1934. Over time, it became a permanent part of England's amateur football infrastructure. Although it is described as a county football association, its jurisdiction is not based on a conventional county boundary. Its center of activity remains London and the Home Counties, and its affiliated clubs participate in competitions including the AFA Senior Cup, the Arthurian League, and the Southern Amateur League. The Amateur Football Combination was also part of this network before its reported merger with the Southern Amateur League in July 2025. The Alliance's historical importance extends beyond its competitions. It represents one of the clearest institutional expressions of the debate over amateurism and professionalism in English football. Its continuing identity is built around competitive football, fair play, respect for opponents and officials, and club-based social traditions. Some affiliated competitions retain the custom of providing refreshments for visiting players and match officials after games, reflecting the hospitality-centered culture that the organization has sought to preserve.
- 2025
Amateur Football Combination merged with Southern Amateur League
[1]The associated competition structure changed following the reported July merger of the Amateur Football Combination and Southern Amateur League.
- 1934
Name changed to Amateur Football Alliance
[1]The organization adopted its present name in April 1934.
- 1914
Settlement with The Football Association
[1]The FA recognized the AFA's amateur policy and granted it representation in selected football administration bodies.
- 1909
UIAFA established
[1]After FIFA declined its application, the AFA helped form the Union Internationale Amateur de Football Associations with other amateur bodies.
- 1907
Amateur Football Association founded
[1]The federation was reorganized as a separate amateur association after The FA required county associations to admit professional clubs.
- 1906
Amateur Football Defence Council established
[1]Clubs from the London metropolitan area formed the organization to defend amateur football during the rise of professionalism.
- 1906
Organization renamed the Amateur Football Defence Federation
[1]The newly formed body adopted a new name during its early dispute with the London Football Association.
Products and positioning
A tradition-led English football association providing an independent institutional framework for competitive amateur football, with a strong concentration in London and the Home Counties.
Cup competition
AFA Senior Cup
The AFA Senior Cup is the Alliance's flagship knockout competition for affiliated amateur clubs, traditionally contested by teams playing Saturday football. It represents the competitive centerpiece of the AFA calendar and connects clubs across its London and Home Counties network.
Association services · 1907
Club affiliation and football administration
The Alliance provides an administrative framework for affiliated amateur clubs and associated competitions. Its activities include supporting organized league football, maintaining competition traditions, and promoting standards of fair play and respect toward opponents and match officials.
League competitions
AFA-associated leagues
The AFA ecosystem has included competitions such as the Arthurian League and the Southern Amateur League. These leagues provide regular amateur fixtures for clubs linked to the Alliance, with a strong emphasis on competitive standards and long-standing football customs.
Brand decisions
1914
Accept a negotiated settlement with The FAStrategyBackground
The dispute between the AFA and The FA had continued since the AFA's formation and had divided clubs and institutions.
Action taken
The AFA accepted an arrangement allowing it to retain its amateur policy while receiving defined representation in football administration.
Aftermath
The settlement ended the central institutional conflict and enabled the AFA to continue as a distinct amateur association within the English football system.
1907
Create a separate amateur football associationStrategyBackground
The Football Association's decision to require county associations to admit professional clubs convinced the federation's leaders that amateur football needed an independent organization.
Action taken
The Amateur Football Defence Federation was reorganized as the Amateur Football Association at a meeting in July 1907.
Aftermath
The decision created a prolonged institutional split with The FA and led clubs and educational institutions to choose between the two associations.
- The Football Association — The FA imposed restrictions on amateur players and attempted to prevent other football associations from recognizing the new organization.
Recent events
- 2025
Amateur Football Combination merges with the Southern Amateur League[1]
M&A · Other
The Amateur Football Combination was reported as merging with the Southern Amateur League in July 2025, changing the structure of one of the competitions associated with the AFA football network.
- 1934
Amateur Football Association adopts the Amateur Football Alliance name[1]
Other
The organization changed its name to the Amateur Football Alliance in April 1934.
- 1914
Football schism with The FA settled[1]
Other · Regulation
The Football Association agreed to let the AFA retain its amateur policy and granted it representation in several football administration bodies, bringing the institutional dispute toward an end.
- 1907
Amateur Football Association established as a separate organization[1]
Other
Following The Football Association's decision to require county associations to admit professional clubs, the amateur movement formally reorganized as the Amateur Football Association.
- 1906
Amateur Football Defence Council formed amid conflict over professionalism[1]
Other
Around 100 clubs from the London metropolitan area agreed to establish the Amateur Football Defence Council in response to the growing influence of professional football and concerns about the future of amateur administration.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/amateur-football-alliance · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled