| Founded | 1912 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1912–13 |
| Folded | 1984 |
| Country |  England |
| Divisions | One (1912–1963, 1977–1984) Two (1973–1977) Three (1963–1973) |
| Number of teams | Lowest: 10 (1912–1913) Highest: 48 (1964–1972) |
| Feeder to | Isthmian League |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup, FA Amateur Cup FA Trophy, FA Vase |
| Most championships | Barnet (7) |
The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,[1] but this name was rejected by the Football Association. It was formed in 1912 with ten clubs, but had to close down in 1914 due to the onset of World War I. When it reformed in 1920, only three of the previous teams rejoined. Clubs left and joined the league at a rate of about one a year, with a number leaving to join the Isthmian League, the strongest amateur league in the London area. Total membership remained fairly stable at between twelve and sixteen clubs until 1963, when it absorbed most of the clubs from two rival leagues, the Corinthian League (most of whose former clubs formed Division One) and the Delphian League (most of whose former clubs formed Division Two). The existing division was renamed the Premier Division.
Over the following years it lost many clubs to stronger leagues, particularly the Isthmian League and Southern League, and successive waves of Isthmian League expansion in 1973, 1977 and 1984 finally forced the league to disband. The league was amongst the first in England to be sponsored by an external company when, in the late 1970s, it was billed as the Kingsmead Athenian League.[2]