1939–40 Lancashire Cup, Competition and results, The road to success
The scores shown are the aggregate score over the two legs


1939–40 Lancashire Cup, Notes and comments
This would be the last year of the Lancashire Cup until season 1945-46.


1939–40 Lancashire Cup, Notes and comments
In the in-between years, many Lancashire clubs were invited (and accepted the invitation) to take part in the Yorkshire Cup competition.


1939–40 Latvian Higher League
The 1939–40 football season was the 13th season of the Latvian Virsliga. It was also the last season of football in independent Latvia before its annexation by the Soviet Union (the last matches of the season were played with Latvia already being part of the USSR).


1939–40 Latvian Higher League, Competition modus
Every team played two games against each other team, one at home and one away. Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw.


1939–40 Latvian Higher League, Team changes to 1938-39
16.JAPSK were relegated to Zemgale league after losing additional matches for the 6-8th places in the previous Virsliga season against US and Hakoah Riga. They were replaced by the winner of the promotion battles VEF Riga who beat out Venstpils Spars in the decisive match for a Virsliga berth.


1939–40 Latvian Higher League, Season overview
The battle for the title was mostly between the defending champions Olimpija Liepāja and the former champions RFK. Until midseason Hakoah Riga also kept up in the race but it fell back later in the season. Olimpija squad suffered a serious loss when five of its footballers were disqualified because of problems with discipline by the club for a longer period. Those included leading players like Roberts Heiblihs, Pēteris Jurčenko and Fricis Laumanis. Eventually the disqualification of Laumanis was shortened but both Jurčenko and Heiblihs missed out nearly the entire season. In their absence the young forward from Kuldīga Bērziņš became the club's leading goalscorer.


1939–40 Latvian Higher League, Champion squad
Goalkeepers: Herberts Briedis (12); Voldemārs Liepiņš (2). Field players: Pēteris Lauks (14); Ēriks Raisters (14 / 10); Fricis Kaņeps (14 / 15); Jānis Lidmanis (13); Francis Krupšs (12 / 3); Leons Freimanis (11 / 2); Ernests Volgasts (11 / 1); Sergejs Maģers (8); Kārlis Upenieks (7 / 5); Vadims Ulbergs (7); Aleksandrs Rehtšprehers (6 / 2); Jānis Dobelis (6 / 1); Roberts Prūsis (6); Oskars Rusmanis (6); Ēriks Pētersons (4); Alfrēds Blūms (1). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)


1939–40 League of Ireland
The 1939–40 League of Ireland was the nineteenth season of the League of Ireland. Shamrock Rovers were the two-time defending champions.


1939–40 League of Ireland, Overview
Cork City withdrew on 13 February 1940. However, a new team, Cork United, were immediately elected in their place, being given special permission to complete Cork City's remaining fixtures.


1939–40 League of Norway
The abandoned 1939–40 Norgesserien would have been the 3rd season of top division football in Norway. The season was interrupted due to German occupation on April 9, 1940, during World War II.


1939–40 Luxembourg National Division
The 1939–40 Luxembourg National Division was the 30th season of top level association football in Luxembourg.


1939–40 Luxembourg National Division, Overview
It was performed in 10 teams, and Stade Dudelange won the championship.


1939–40 Madrid FC season
The 1939–40 season was Real Madrid Club de Fútbol's 37th season in existence and the club's 8th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football.


1939–40 Madrid FC season, Summary
After three suspended League seasons due to Spanish Civil War, the Board appointed Paco Bru from Girona FC as head coach In League the club finished on 4th spot below Champions Athletic Aviación. Striker Sabino Barinaga could play just two matches due to an injury. Offensively the team played in a superb way during the season with Manuel Alday scoring 17 league goals, however, the defensive line was one of the worst of the championship sinking the chances for a title.


1939–40 Madrid FC season, Summary
Meanwhile, in Copa del Generalísimo the squad could reach the Final stage and was defeated by Español after extra time.


1939–40 Madrid FC season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1939–40 Maltese Premier League
The 1939–40 Maltese First Division was the 29th season of top-tier football in Malta. It was contested by 6 teams, and Sliema Wanderers F.C. won the championship.


1939–40 Manchester United F.C. season
The 1939–40 season would have been Manchester United's 44th season in the Football League, and their second season back in the top flight after playing in the Second Division in 1937–38. However, due to the outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939, the league season was abandoned after just three games and the results expunged from the records. For this reason, appearances made and goals scored in the Football League matches that were played do not contribute to a player's overall appearances and goals record.


1939–40 Manchester United F.C. season
Many of Manchester United's players went off to fight in the war, but for those who remained, the Football League organised a special War League. The War League was originally split into ten regional divisions (Manchester United were placed in the Western Division), in accordance with the Government's 50-mile travel limit. A War League Cup was also set up to replace the FA Cup, which had also been interrupted at the Preliminary Round phase. United finished the league season with a record of 14 wins and 8 losses, and also reached the second round of the cup before losing to eventual runners-up, Blackburn Rovers.


1939–40 Manchester United F.C. season, War League Western Division
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GAvg = Goal average; Pts = Points


1939–40 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1939–40 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate basketball during the 1939–40 season. The team finished the season in sixth place in the Big Ten Conference with an overall record of 13–7 and 6–6 against conference opponents.


1939–40 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Bennie Oosterbaan was in his first year as the team's head coach. James Rae was the team's leading scorer with 199 points in 20 games for an average of 10.0 points per game. Rae was also the team captain.


1939–40 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1939–40 Montreal Canadiens season was the 31st season in franchise history. The team placed seventh in the regular season and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 1935–36 season. The Canadiens would not finish a season in last place for another fifty-nine years.


1939–40 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
The Canadiens' first game saw them score what would be a season-high 8 goals as they defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 8–2 at the Montreal Forum on November 5, 1939. The Habs were undefeated over their first six games (4-0-2) and were 6-2-2 in their first ten. After that, however, long winless streaks were the rule. They went 3-8-0 in December, 1-10-1 in January, 1-8-1 in February and 1-5-1 in March. Their most lopsided loss happened on February 22, 1940 – 1–10 against the Chicago Black Hawks at Chicago.


1939–40 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalty Minutes, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1939–40 NCAA football bowl games
The 1939–40 NCAA football bowl games were the final games of the 1939 college football season and featured five games, all of which had been held the previous season. All five bowls were played on January 1, 1940. The national championship was split by Texas A&M and USC.


1939–40 NCAA football bowl games, Poll rankings
The below table lists top teams (per the AP Poll taken after the completion of the regular season), their win-loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in.


1939–40 NCAA football bowl games, Poll rankings
The Big Ten Conference did not allow its members to participate in bowl games until the 1947 Rose Bowl.


1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season
The 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1939, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1940 NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 30, 1940, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Indiana Hoosiers won their first NCAA national championship with a 60–42 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.


1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season, Rule changes
After a foul, teams received the option of either taking a free throw or taking the ball at mid-court.


1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season, Conference membership changes
NOTE: Columbia left the Metropolitan New York Conference while retaining membership in the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League. It was a member of both from 1933 until 1939.


1939–40 NHL season
The 1939–40 NHL season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League. Of the league's seven teams, the Boston Bruins were the best in the 48-game regular season, but the Stanley Cup winners were the New York Rangers, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the best-of-seven final series 4–2 for their third Stanley Cup in 14 seasons of existence. It would be another 54 years before their fourth.


1939–40 NHL season, League business
In June 1939, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association notified the NHL of the request for development fees when signing amateur players to contracts, after the existing professional-amateur deal expired in 1940.


1939–40 NHL season, Regular season
Tragedy struck the Montreal Canadiens when Babe Siebert, named coach of the struggling club, drowned along with his daughter in August. It put a big hole in the Habs defence and the team finished last under Pit Lepine. An all-star benefit was held in Siebert's memory.


1939–40 NHL season, Regular season
The New York Americans, in financial trouble, decided to trade their star left wing Sweeney Schriner to Toronto for Harvey "Busher" Jackson, Buzz Boll, Murray Armstrong, and minor-leaguer Jimmy Fowler. Late in the season, they traded Eddie Wiseman and $5000 to Boston for Eddie Shore. The Americans then managed to make the playoffs by finishing a poor sixth. They also obtained Charlie Conacher and used him as a defenceman.


1939–40 NHL season, Regular season
The first place Boston Bruins had a new coach in Cooney Weiland, their one-time captain, and were once again led by their Kraut Line, Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer as they finished 1–2–3 in overall league scoring. Unfortunately, the potent three were unable to help the Bruins get past the first round of the playoffs as the Bruins lost in six games to the Rangers.


1939–40 NHL season, Regular season
The New York Rangers were coasting in first place and went 19 consecutive games without a loss. They slumped in the second half, though, and Boston edged them out for first place.


1939–40 NHL season, Regular season
The first NHL game broadcast on television was between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens on February 25, 1940. The game was seen by only 300 people in a small area in the United States. This, though, was not the first ice hockey game broadcast on television, as a broadcast had been made in England in 1938. The CBC's first hockey broadcast was in 1952 between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings.


1939–40 NHL season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalty Minutes, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1939–40 NHL season, Playoffs
The Boston Bruins were expected to make the Stanley Cup Finals after a first overall finish during the regular season riding the shoulders of the "Kraut Line". But the New York Rangers were too much for the Bruins who lost in six games, out-scored 14 to 8 and shut-out twice, in the Semifinals. The third seed Toronto Maple Leafs swept the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks en route to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers Cup win would begin the 54 Year Curse, and they would not win another Cup until 1994.


1939–40 NHL season, Player statistics, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points


1939–40 NHL season, Player statistics, Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts


1939–40 NHL season, Player statistics, Playoff scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes


1939–40 NHL season, Player statistics, Playoff leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts


1939–40 NHL season, Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1939–40 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):


1939–40 NHL season, Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1939–40 (listed with their last team):


1939–40 National Challenge Cup
The 1939–40 National Challenge Cup was the 27th edition of the United States Football Association's annual open cup. Today, the tournament is known as the U.S. Open Cup. Teams from the American Soccer League II competed in the tournament, based on qualification methods in their base region.


1939–40 National Challenge Cup
The tournament was unique in that it is the only edition not to produce an overall winner. After drawing 2–2 on aggregate, Baltimore S.C. and Chicago Sparta could not agree on a third, tie-breaking match. As a result, the two clubs shared the title.


1939–40 National Challenge Cup, Eastern Bracket
Numbers in parentheses next to the match score represent the results of a replay.


1939–40 National Challenge Cup, Eastern Bracket
1 First match was abandoned after 35 minutes due to rain2 Replay went to extra time


1939–40 National Challenge Cup, Western Bracket
Numbers in parentheses next to the match score represent the results of a replay.


1939–40 National Challenge Cup, Western Bracket
1 First and second match went into extra time2 Third match had to be abandoned in the 70th minute due to crowd trouble3 Second match went into extra time


1939–40 National Football League (Ireland)
The 1939–40 National Football League was the 13th staging of the National Football League, an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.


1939–40 National Football League (Ireland)
After winning six NFL titles in a row, Mayo did not play in the league this season, on the grounds that petrol rationing (due to The Emergency / Second World War) would make playing in the NFL prohibitively expensive. They were also protesting events during the 1939 All-Ireland semi-final replay. In their absence, Galway won the League.


1939–40 National Football League (Ireland), Format
There were four divisions – Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western. Division winners played off for the NFL title.


1939–40 National Hurling League
The 1939–40 National Hurling League was the 13th edition of the National Hurling League, which ran from 2 October 1939 until 7 April 1940.


1939–40 National Hurling League
The nine participating teams were Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford who were divided into two divisions. Two points awarded for a win and one point awarded for a drawn game..


1939–40 National Hurling League
Cork won the league, beating Tipperary by 8-9 to 6-4 in the final.


1939–40 Nationalliga, Overview
It was contested by 12 teams, and Servette FC Genève won the championship.


1939–40 Nemzeti Bajnokság I
The 1939–40 Nemzeti Bajnokság I was contested by 14 teams, and Ferencvárosi TC won the championship.


1939–40 Netherlands Football League Championship
The Netherlands Football League Championship 1939–1940 was contested by 52 teams participating in five divisions. The national champion would be determined by a play-off featuring the winners of the eastern, northern, southern and two western football divisions of the Netherlands. Feijenoord won this year's championship by beating Blauw-Wit Amsterdam, Heracles, Juliana and GVAV Rapiditas.


1939–40 Netherlands Football League Championship
This season's championship was not considered official. Owing to the start of World War II, not all teams played an equal number of matches.


1939–40 New York Americans season
The 1939–40 New York Americans season was the Americans' 15th season of play.


1939–40 New York Americans season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalty Minutes, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1939–40 New York Americans season, Playoffs
The Americans met the Detroit in a best-of-three series and lost the series in 2 games, or 1–2.


1939–40 New York Rangers season
The 1939–40 New York Rangers season was the 14th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). With new coach Frank Boucher the Rangers finish in 2nd Place again with an impressive 27–11–10 record. In the semi-finals the Rangers beat the Boston Bruins in 6 games to advance to the 1940 Stanley Cup Finals. In the finals the Rangers won their first 2 games by scores of 2–1 and 6–2 at the Garden, before finishing the series on the road because of the circus.


1939–40 New York Rangers season
After dropping the first 2 games in Toronto the Rangers won a critical Game five 2–1 in overtime on Muzz Patrick's overtime goal. In Game 6 it would take overtime again as the Rangers won their 3rd Stanley Cup on Bryan Hextall's goal 2:33 into OT. Following the season the Rangers would celebrate buying out their lease at Madison Square Garden by burning the lease in the historic Stanley Cup, a move that would take on greater mystery in coming years.


1939–40 New York Rangers season, Regular season, Season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalty Minutes, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1939–40 New York Rangers season, Playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
The final series between the Rangers and the Maple Leafs was an exciting one that went back and forth with three overtime games. The Rangers took the first two at home and the Leafs took the next two in Toronto. The circus forced the Rangers to vacate Madison Square Garden after the first two games. The Rangers would score three game-winning goals in overtime, including the Cup winner. Lynn and Murray Patrick played for the Rangers, and became the third and fourth members of the Patrick family to win the Stanley Cup. Bryan Hextall scored in overtime in the final game to give the Rangers their 3rd Stanley Cup and last until 1994.


1939–40 New York Rangers season, Player statistics
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only. ‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.


1939–40 New York Rangers season, Player statistics, 1940 New York Rangers Stanley Cup Champions
Dave Kerr, Art Coulter, Ott Heller, Alex Shibicky, Mac Colville, Neil Colville, Phil Watson, Lynn Patrick, Clint Smith, Muzz Patrick, Babe Pratt, Bryan Hextall, Kilby MacDonald, Dutch Hiller, Alf Pike, Stanford Smith, Lester Patrick (manager), Frank Boucher (coach), Harry Westerby (trainer)


1939–40 Newport County A.F.C. season
The 1939–40 season would have been Newport County's first season in the Football League Second Division and their 19th season overall in the Football League. However, due to the outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939, the league season was abandoned after just three games and the results expunged from the records. For this reason, appearances made and goals scored in the Football League matches that were played do not contribute to a player's overall appearances and goals record.


1939–40 Newport County A.F.C. season
Many of Newport County's players went off to fight in the war, but for those who remained, the Football League organised a special War League. The War League was originally split into ten regional divisions (Newport County were placed in the South-Western Division), in accordance with the Government's 50-mile travel limit. A War League Cup was also set up to replace the FA Cup, which had also been interrupted at the Preliminary Round phase.


1939–40 Newport County A.F.C. season, League table
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points


1939–40 Northern Football League
The 1939–40 Northern Football League season was the 47th in the history of the Northern Football League, a football competition in Northern England.


1939–40 Northern Football League, Clubs
The league originally featured 12 clubs which competed in the last season, along with two new clubs:


1939–40 Northern Football League, Clubs
The initial competition was abandoned on 16 December 1939 after Whitby United, Evenwood Town, Brandon Social, Billingham, Cockfield, and Ferryhill Athletic resigned from the league between 30 September and 16 December. The remaining eight clubs agreed to begin a new competition beginning on 1 January 1940.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season
The 1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League season was an emergency season of English rugby league fixtures necessitated by the outbreak of the Second World War. The regular league season had started at the end of August 1939, but on the outbreak of war all sport was suspended. When government permission for sport to be resumed was given, the league was reorganised into two regional competitions, Yorkshire and Lancashire. The winners of each league playing against each other to decide the overall champions. The Yorkshire competition was won by Bradford Northern who beat Swinton, winners of the Lancashire competition, in the two-legged league final.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season
The season also saw the resumption of County Cup competition, as well as some representative matches arranged to raise funds for the British Red Cross. The Challenge Cup competition, traditionally run alongside the league, was not played for the first time since 1919.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Planned season
The planned 1939–40 season had begun as scheduled on Saturday 26 August 1939 with 27 clubs starting the season. This was one less than the previous season as St Helens Recs had disbanded at the end of the 1938–39 season. The withdrawal of St Helens Recs required a change in the way fixtures were organised. With 28 clubs in the league, each club was a member of the 14 team Lancashire League or the 14 team Yorkshire League.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Planned season
The actual geographical split of clubs was 15 clubs based in Yorkshire and 13 in Lancashire, so Halifax played as a member of the Lancashire League. Each teams' fixture list comprised a home and away fixture against all the teams in their county league (26), as well as home and away fixtures against seven teams in the other county league (14) for a total of 40 games.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Planned season
With only 27 clubs the League's secretary, John Wilson, proposed a 36-game season for each club with Halifax remaining in the Lancashire league, and Dewsbury, who were the lowest finishing Yorkshire team in the previous season, playing as a member of neither county league. For the purposes of determining fixture lists Dewsbury would be considered the 14th team of both county leagues. Excepting Dewsbury, each team's fixture list would comprise the other teams in their own county league (24 games) together with six teams from the other county (12 games). Dewsbury's opponents would be nine clubs from each county.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Planned season
At the League's annual general meeting on 7 June 1939 the clubs accepted Wilson's proposal regarding the positions of Halifax and Dewsbury, but voted for a 40-game fixture list instead of Wilson's 36 game proposal. The fixture lists were issued later in June. Each team, except Dewsbury, had home and away fixtures against all the teams in their own county league (24 games). They also had home and away fixtures against eight teams in the other county league (16 games). Dewsbury's fixture list comprised home and away fixtures against 10 teams from each county league.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Planned season
A full programme of games was played up to Saturday 2 September. By that date most clubs had played two or three games as some clubs had played midweek matches.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Suspension of the League
On Monday 4 September the day after the declaration of war, all rugby league games and all other spectator sports and public entertainments were suspended by provisions of the Prohibition of Public Entertainments (Defence) Order, one of numerous orders made following the enactment of the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939. As a result, some clubs like Wigan and Salford announced they were closing  for the duration of the war and that their players were released.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Suspension of the League
One issue clubs had to consider was what to do with the monies paid for season-tickets, the holders of which may have only seen one or two games. Barrow, for one, resolved to repay season-ticket holders less a deduction for games seen, while Oldham decided not to give any refunds stating, "We are up against it and must appeal to our members to make this sacrifice".


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Suspension of the League
Under the defence regulations and air raid precautions, all areas of the country were designated as evacuation, neutral or reception areas depending on the assessment of an area as an enemy target and its ability to receive people from the evacuation areas. The defence regulations allowed for the resumption of sporting events within reception or neutral areas and on 9 September the Home Secretary issued the Public Entertainments (Restriction) Order allowing events to go ahead outside evacuation areas. Attendances were limited to 8,000 or 15,000 at grounds with a capacity over 60,000.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Suspension of the League
On 11 September the Rugby League Council agreed to clubs playing friendlies on the following two Saturdays, while the League Secretary, John Wilson, arranged a programme of games. Players were to be paid 10s per match and their travelling expenses, while the minimum entrance fee was set at 6d. The meeting also appointed a wartime committee to run the league for the duration of the war.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Suspension of the League
Seven games were played on 16 September and eleven on 23 September. A further change in the defence orders allowed games to go ahead in evacuation areas as long as the consent of the local chief constable had been obtained.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions
Wilson's proposal, which was accepted on 11 September, was for the league to run as two parallel county competitions, a Yorkshire Competition and a Lancashire Competition under the umbrella name of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Emergency Period League. The leagues would be played on a simple home and away basis; gate money was to be split equally between the two clubs after deducting player expenses and travel expenses for 15 players of the away club.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions
Players' expenses were limited to 10s per game plus meal expenses if they had to travel more than 25 miles (40.2 km) to an away game. These allowances replaced any previous contractual arrangements between the players and the clubs and in effect removed the professional status from the players. Referees were to be allowed 10s plus travel expenses and touch judges 5s plus travel expenses. Players were also allowed to play for another club if that club was closer to home or work, subject to agreement of their first club. This was to alleviate travelling for players who worked away.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions
No inter-competition games were planned, but in January 1940 it was proposed and agreed that there should be a two-legged final between the winner of each competition to decide the overall league champions. Clubs were asked to notify Wilson as soon as possible if they intended to play in the competitions. In the end all 27 clubs, including those like Salford and Wigan who had previously decided to cease operating, had entered when the fixture list was issued.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions
The rules also allowed alternative venues to be used if a club's home ground was unavailable, either temporarily or permanently. Broughton Rangers home ground, Belle Vue was unavailable to them all season so they played at a variety of other grounds, while Salford and Swinton shared Swinton's Station Road.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
Even before the season started players at Bradford Northern, Halifax and Huddersfield protested that the expense limit of 10s per game was insufficient and that they would not play unless the expenses were increased. The Lord Mayor of Bradford, T. J. Robinson had anticipated the players' stance. At a lunch for the wartime committee, he was reported as saying "the committee members would have difficulty in getting first-class footballers, used to getting £4 or £5 to accept remuneration of 10s per match, but no doubt the difficulties would be surmounted".


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
The players most opposed to the expense limit were those of Bradford Northern who were unanimous in their opposition and had made it clear to the club secretary that they were not prepared to play for 10s per game. The secretary had informed Wilson of this asking for a special meeting of the clubs to discuss the issue. At this stage Wilson did not consider discussion appropriate unless 20 or more of the clubs requested it. The Huddersfield players also informed their club committee that they were not prepared to play on the following Saturday.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
At Halifax the secretary stated reports of a strike were exaggerated and that the "players were quite willing, indeed they were anxious to play but they were not prepared to run the risk of losing the jobs they had got, or of being off work, for the small amount they were permitted to receive".


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
The chairman of the Rugby League Council, G.F. Hutchins, responded by asking all players to give the 10s expenses a month's trial after which the issue would be reviewed. While players at St. Helens accepted the 10s limit, at Barrow team selection for Saturday was delayed because of the issue; while some clubs, including Halifax, Dewsbury and Batley, called for an increase in the limit.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
On Friday 29 September the Halifax players agreed to play but remained dissatisfied by the expense allowance; the Bradford players remained adamant leaving the club no alternative but to inform their opponents for Saturday, Hull Kingston Rovers that the game could not go ahead. Players from many clubs met on 2 October and agreed to continue to press the issue with the Rugby Football League, but they would play "on Saturday in order to keep faith with the public".


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
After the second weekend of the competitions, the Rugby League Council met to discuss the expenses issue and agreed a doubling of the expenses limit to £1. Expenses for referees were also increased to £1, but touch judges' expenses remained unchanged at 5s. Also, clubs could make an additional payment of 5s to each player for away games played in Barrow or Hull due to the extra travelling time needed.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Player protest
To increase the likelihood that gates would be adequate, the minimum entry for a game was increased to 1s but remained at 6d for women, children and any uniformed members of the armed forces. The players responded by welcoming the rise but asked the Rugby League Council to consider changing the system to a payment of 25s to players on the winning team and 15s to the members of the losing team. The players felt this would increase competitiveness in the games. The wartime committee met the following week but made no response to the player's suggestion. Bonuses were not discussed further except at the end of the season when the league awarded monetary prizes rather than medals.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Yorkshire competition
With 15 teams the fixture list for the Yorkshire competition contained 28 fixtures for each team with the season end date being 11 May. Until Christmas 1939 the competition progressed as planned although at least one game was concluded early; Hull v Batley on 21 October was ended after 65 minutes due to an air raid warning. The last week of December 1939 was the start of the third coldest winter of the 20th century and the most severe in the United Kingdom since 1895.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Yorkshire competition
Heavy snow and prolonged cold periods, together with the lack of material to protect the pitches, meant that after the games played on Boxing Day 1939 no games were played in Yorkshire until 24 February when a single match, Hull F.C. v Leeds beat the weather; it was the following Saturday, 2 March 1940, before a full schedule resumed. A backlog of over 100 games built up and it became apparent that it would be impossible to complete the fixtures by the end of April without many midweek games being played. The decision was taken to extend the season.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Yorkshire competition
The clubs were urged to complete their fixtures by 4 May, but as the backlog grew the date was moved to 11 May with the Championship final scheduled for 18 and 25 May. The extension required a ballot of all the clubs as the games' by-laws specified that they could not be played between the second Saturday in May and the last Saturday in August. Despite all the urging, the games did not finish on time. By 31 May there were still three fixtures outstanding.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Yorkshire competition
Hull F.C. had away fixtures against Batley and Keighley to play, and Hull Kingston Rovers were still to play Dewsbury at home. These games never were played as Hull F.C. reported in July that their two fixtures were unplayed and both Keighley and Batley had withdrawn from the Yorkshire Cup ending their seasons in May due to problems raising teams. With two points awarded for a win, the non-playing of these three games had no bearing on the outcome of the competition. Bradford secured the title with a game to spare when they beat Hull Kingston Rovers on 13 May giving them a three-point lead over Huddersfield, and a six-point lead over Hull F.C.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Lancashire competition
The 12 teams of the Lancashire competition each had 22 fixtures to play. A season end date of 2 March was given when the fixture list was issued. Like the Yorkshire competition, the Lancashire competition progressed well until the end of 1939 but was hit badly by the hard winter. The absence of games was not as long as the barren spell experienced in Yorkshire; in the first two weeks of January 1940 three games were played all in the Lancashire competition. After that it was the last weekend in February before any more games were played. Catching up on the outstanding fixtures required some games to be scheduled close to each other. Oldham and Warrington rescheduled the two games between the clubs. Both were played over the Easter weekend, Oldham at home on Saturday and Warrington at home on Monday.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Lancashire competition
With a smaller backlog of games and fewer fixtures to be played, by the end of May there was only one fixture left to be played—Oldham v Rochdale. The game had previously been postponed twice at the request of Rochdale who then proposed the fixture be played on 1 June. However Oldham had already arranged a friendly against Huddersfield for the same day which they did not wish to postpone and instead proposed 8 June. Rochdale objected as they considered the outstanding league fixture should take precedence over a friendly. When Oldham refused, Rochdale wrote to the league and Oldham, stating that Rochdale did not intend to fulfil the fixture. The games' points were awarded to Oldham.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Lancashire competition
The title was won by Swinton on points difference ahead of Salford.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off
The Championship was decided by a two leg play-off between Swinton and Bradford Northern on a home and away basis. Bradford Northern won 37–22 on aggregate having won both legs.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off, First leg
The first leg was played at Swinton's Station Rd on 18 May 1940 in front of a crowd of 4,800. Gate receipts totalled £237.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off, First leg
Swinton took a 3–0 lead when Hopkin scored a try. But within minutes Bradford took the lead as Harrison scored a try which Carmichael converted to put Bradford 5–3 ahead. Swinton regained the lead through a McGurk try, converted by Hodgson, cancelled out by Bradford's second try by Smith which Carmichael again converted. This gave Bradford a half-time lead 10–8.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off, First leg
In the second half it was Bradford who scored first with a Whitcombe try to which Carmichael added the conversion to make the score 15–8. Swinton reduced the gap to two points as Shaw scored with Hodgson converting. Bradford's fourth try came from a Swinton penalty kick that hit the post and rebounded into the field of play. It was gathered up by Bradford's Davies who ran the length of the pitch to score. A fifth try for Bradford, scored by Brogden, made the final score 21–13 to Bradford.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off, Second leg
The second leg was played the following Saturday, 25 May 1940 at Odsal Stadium. The crowd was 11,271 generating gate receipts of £570.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off, Second leg
Bradford made a number of changes for the first leg due to injuries and players unable to get time off work. Bradford scored first with a Ward try to which Swinton replied with a Hodgson drop goal. This was Swinton's only score of the first half. Bradford scored two more tries through Winnard and Whitcombe, one of which Carmichael converted to give Bradford an 11–2 lead at half-time.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, County competitions, Championship play-off, Second leg
Swinton got a try back in the second half, but another try by Winnard and a Carmichael conversion extended Bradford's lead to 16–5. Two Hodgson penalties, the second of which was kicked from very close to the halfway line making the kick approximately 66 yards (60 m) from the goal posts, improved Swinton's score. Shortly before the end Jenkins (Bradford) and Bowyer (Swinton) were sent off for fighting. As Swinton had already lost Hopkin to injury they finished the game with only 11 players on the field as the game ended 16–9 to Bradford.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup was suspended at the start of the war at the same time as all competitive games and it did not feature in the Rugby League's proposals for competitive football. As late as December 1939 the Lancashire County Committee were considering a proposal to reinstate the competition but the practicalities of scheduling and travel during wartime were considered too great to overcome.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Lancashire Cup
Although all cup competitions had been suspended at the outbreak of the war, as the season progressed there were calls for the County Cup competitions to be re-introduced. In December 1939 the wartime committee gave permission for the Lancashire Cup to be played. All ties including the final were to be two-legged with the winner being decided by aggregate score. With only 12 clubs participating only four rounds of competition were needed and these were scheduled for March and April 1940. After the first round the six winning clubs were drawn for the second round with two teams being given byes into the semi-finals. The two teams given byes were Swinton and Widnes who went on to win their semi-final matches.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Lancashire Cup
The winners of the cup were Swinton who won the first leg of the final 5–4 at Widnes' Naughton Park ground on 20 April. In the second leg at Station Road, at full time the score was 9–8 to Widnes making the aggregate score 13–13. Under the competition rules extra time had to be played and Swinton won 16–11 to win the Cup 21–15 on aggregate.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Yorkshire Cup
Encouraged by the resumption of the Lancashire Cup, in December 1939 the Yorkshire clubs considered whether to reinstate the Yorkshire Cup but agreed to defer any decision until February 1940. At the club's February meeting it was agreed to ask the war-time committee for permission to play the competition on four consecutive Saturdays in May and June after the completion of the league season.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Yorkshire Cup
As the request was made at the same time the league fixture backlog was increasing, the war-time committee arranged a postal ballot of all the clubs to amend the by-laws to allow games to be played in June; the vote to extend the season was carried 21–3 with 8 clubs not replying. A secondary proposal to pay match bonuses to players for cup games after the first round was rejected after a ballot of the clubs.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Yorkshire Cup
Unlike the Lancashire Cup, the Yorkshire Cup was to be a straightforward knockout competition. It was agreed that the first round fixtures would be those that had been drawn in May 1939 in anticipation of the Cup being at its regular dates in the season. The draw gave Huddersfield a bye; they would join the winners of the seven ties in the draw for the second round. Shortly before the first round ties were played on 1 June 1940, Batley, Bramley and Keighley all withdrew from the competition because they could not raise teams due to war work commitments or active service. The three ties were all awarded to their opponents.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Cup competitions, Yorkshire Cup
The final was contested by Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield Trinity at Odsal Stadium, Bradford on 22 June 1940. Featherstone won 12–9 to win the Cup for the first time.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Lancashire Summer Competition
In April 1940 eight of the Lancashire clubs agreed to play in a new league called the Lancashire Summer Competition. The teams were split into two groups of four with the two group leaders meeting in a single-legged play-off final on 22 June. The two groups, titled East and West comprised Barrow, Liverpool Stanley, Warrington and Wigan in the East group with Broughton Rangers, Leigh, Salford and Swinton in the West group. Players from the four teams who had decided not to enter were not allowed to play as guests in the competition. The games were to be played as a two-legged knockout tournament in the same manner as the Lancashire Cup.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Lancashire Summer Competition
Fixtures began on 11 May with Broughton Rangers playing Leigh, but within two weeks Barrow and Swinton withdrew from the competition. With only six teams left in the competition, the league committee decided to abandon the competition at the end of May.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Representative matches
In October 1939 the league resolved to play three representative matches to raise funds for the Red Cross; England v Wales on 23 December 1939, Lancashire v Yorkshire at Barrow on 1 January 1940, and the 1936 Tourists v the Rest on 10 February 1940 at a venue to be confirmed.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Representative matches
The first game, England v Wales, was played at Odsal, Bradford on 23 December 1939. A crowd of 20,000 saw Wales win 16–3. The second game was scheduled for 1 January 1940 and was a match between representative teams of the Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs. It was postponed in December 1939 at the request of the Barrow club as the Barrow shipyards were not taking New Years Day, a Monday, as a holiday. Eventually played at Craven Park on 23 March before a crowd of 8,683, Yorkshire beat Lancashire 13–10 having been 2–10 behind at half-time.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Representative matches
The third game, postponed from 10 February, was played at Salford on 4 May between the 1936 Tourists (players from the 1936 team that toured Australia) and the 1940 Probables (players who probably would have toured Australia in 1940 had the war not intervened). Last minute changes in availability meant that the Tourists side included three Salford players who had not been part of the tour team. The 1940 Probables won the game 29–21 in front of a crowd of 7,000.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Representative matches
In total the three games generated £1,561 for the British Red Cross.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Finances
The season was costly both to the Rugby Football League and to many clubs. The Rugby Football League had income of only £899 in the year to 31 May 1940 and lost £3,015, reducing its assets to £23,304. This compared to a loss of £1,710 in the previous year. The two County Leagues had mixed fortunes. Lancashire made a profit of £63 while Yorkshire made a loss of £121.


1939–40 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season, Finances
At club level many clubs reported losses, these ranged from £47 at Batley and £87 at Rochdale to £998 at Castleford and £1,314 at Wigan. A minority of clubs reported making a profit; St Helens £5 Oldham £114, Swinton £515 and Dewsbury £750, but these club were far fewer in number than the clubs reporting losses.


1939–40 Norwegian Ice Hockey Championship season
The 1939–40 Norwegian Ice Hockey Championship season was the sixth season of ice hockey in Norway. 14 teams participated in the league, and Grane won the championship.


1939–40 Národní liga
The 1939–40 Národní liga (English: National league) was the first season of the Národní liga, the first tier of league football in the Nazi Germany-annexed Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia which had been part of Czechoslovakia until March 1939.


1939–40 Národní liga
The Czech championship was won by Slavia Prague, and Josef Bican was the league's top scorer with 50 goals.


1939–40 Národní liga
Czech clubs in what was now the German-annexed Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia continued their own league which was variously referred to as the Národní liga (English: National league), Bohemia/Moravia championship or Česko-moravská liga (English: Bohemian-Moravian league) while ethnic-German clubs played in the German Gauliga Sudetenland.


1939–40 Národní liga
In the Slovak Republic an independent Slovak league, the Slovenská liga, had been established in 1939 and played out its own championship which was won by ŠK Bratislava in the 1939–40 season. A national Czechoslovak championship was not played between 1939 and 1945.


1939–40 Národní liga, Table
For the 1939–40 season Viktoria Plzeň and SK Prostějov had been newly promoted to the league.


1939–40 OB I bajnoksag season
The 1939–40 OB I bajnokság season was the fourth season of the OB I bajnokság, the top level of ice hockey in Hungary. Three teams participated in the league, and BKE Budapest won the championship.


1939–40 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season
The 1939–40 season was Oldham Athletic's was the club's 45th season since forming in 1895. The team competed in Football League Third Division North. Following Britain's declaration of war on 3 September 1939, the league was abandoned after just three games and the results expunged from the records. For this reason, appearances made and goals scored in the Football League matches that were played do not contribute to a player's overall appearances and goals record.


1939–40 Panhellenic Championship
The 1939–40 Panhellenic Championship was the 11th season of the highest football league of Greece and the last before the WW2 took place. It was carried out with a system similar to that of the previous season in which 14 teams participated again, 8 from the Cental and 6 from Northern Greece, which were divided into groups. As in the previous year, in order to complete the championship, since it took a total of 30 matchdays, the teams that qualified for the national championship did not compete with each other again but transferred the mutual results of the local championships.


1939–40 Panhellenic Championship
The teams of the Cental Greece formed the Southern group and resulted as follows:


1939–40 Panhellenic Championship
The teams of the Νorthern Group were initially divided into two subgroups. The teams of the Thessaloniki formed the Northern subgroup A and resulted as follows:


1939–40 Panhellenic Championship
The teams of Serres, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace formed the Northern subgroup B and resulted as follows:


1939–40 Panhellenic Championship
The two winners competed in double games to become the champion of the Northern group. The champions of South and North, AEK Athens and PAOK, competed in a 2-legged final for the title. AEK was crowned champion for their 2nd Championship (2 consecutive), with Kleanthis Maropoulos being the protagonist as the last year. AEK had a great team then and throughout the year they had only one defeat in the Southern group against Olympiacos. Both in the local championship of Athens, and in both of the finals, AEK achiedved only victories. The point system was: Win: 3 points - Draw: 2 points - Loss: 1 point.


1939–40 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1939–40 season was Port Vale's 34th season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Third Division South. All competitive football was suspended upon the breakout of war in Europe, just two games into the regular season. These two games were expunged form official records and the regional war leagues which replaced them are not recognised by the Football League and thus not included in official records. Port Vale went on to finish eighth in the West League of the regional wartime league.


1939–40 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview
Having rebuilt the playing squad the previous season, the Port Vale management opted to supplement the relatively team with young signings; notable teenage arrivals were Scottish winger Murdoch Dickie from Crewe Alexandra and inside-forward Bert Flatley from York City. Ken Fish returned as assistant trainer as well as a player, with the club deciding to do without a manager in favour of a selection committee.


1939–40 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview
A goalless draw on the opening day down at Brighton & Hove Albion was followed by a 1–0 home defeat to Exeter City, but match number three against Northampton Town was cancelled after war was declared and the government prohibited all sports gatherings. The Football League was formally cancelled and the footballing authorities looked at alternative arrangements. Permission was granted for football to take place in Stoke-on-Trent and friendlies took place as during this time.


1939–40 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview
The Football League eventually decided upon regional leagues and placed Vale in the West Region, alongside the big clubs from Liverpool and Manchester. Attendances were low, with only the fixtures with Manchester United and Everton breaking the 4,000 mark at the Old Recreation Ground. They managed to beat Everton 2–1 in front on a season-high crowd of around 6,000, and also managed to pick up a 1–1 draw with Liverpool in front of just 4,000 spectators at Anfield.


1939–40 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview
Vale suffered heavy defeats at Old Trafford, the Victoria Ground and Maine Road, as well as at home to Liverpool, but managed to record doubles against both Crewe Alexandra and Tranmere Rovers. Despite fielding strong sides in the War Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup they were eliminated in the opening rounds by Walsall and West Bromwich Albion respectively. Jack Roberts finished as top-scorer with 14 goals in all competitions. The club could not afford to continue fielding a professional team and so fielded just a junior side until the 1944–45 season despite still losing vast sums of money maintaining the Old Recreation Ground.


1939–40 Primeira Divisão
The 1939–40 Primeira Divisão season was the sixth season of top-tier football in Portugal. The season was marked by a controversy regarding the teams qualified from Porto FA Regional Championship.


1939–40 Primeira Divisão
Due to an administrative battle between FC Porto and Académico do Porto regarding a Regional Championship game that ended with only 43 minutes after the start and later repeated (which FC Porto won) according to a Porto FA decision, the Portuguese Federation came out with a decision to satisfy both clubs, expanding Primeira Divisão to 10 teams (one more from Porto FA and another from Setúbal FA) and annulling the result from the repetition match. With this decision, FC Porto lost the Regional title and finished third; Leixões SC became the new regional champion, ahead second-placed Académico. All three teams qualified for the 1939–40 Primeira Divisão.


1939–40 Primeira Divisão, Overview
It was contested by 10 teams, and F.C. Porto won the championship.


1939–40 Primera Fuerza season, Overview
It was contested by 6 teams, and Club España won the championship.


1939–40 Primera Fuerza season, Moves, Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name.


1939–40 Rangers F.C. season
The 1939–40 season was the 66th season of competitive football by Rangers, although with the outbreak of the Second World War, the competitive season was abandoned.


1939–40 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
With the outbreak of the War on 3 September 1939, the season was suspended after five rounds of games played in the Scottish League Division One. The league was not officially competed for until season 1946–47 but there were unofficial regional leagues played during these years. This saw the club play what was known as wartime football.


1939–40 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
Rangers played a total of five official competitive matches during the 1939–40 season.


1939–40 Ranji Trophy
The 1939–40 Ranji Trophy was the sixth season of the Ranji Trophy. Eighteen teams took part in four zones in a knockout format. Northern India who appeared in the previous season dropped out but would return in 1940-41. Maharashtra won their first title defeating United Provinces in the final.


1939–40 Rochdale A.F.C. season
The 1939–40 season saw Rochdale begin to compete for their 19th season in the Football League Third Division North, however with the outbreak of World War 2, the league was abandoned, and a wartime league was formed. The F.A. Cup was also cancelled and replaced with the League War Cup.


1939–40 SK Rapid Wien season
The 1939–40 SK Rapid Wien season was the 42nd season in club history.


1939–40 SM-sarja season
The 1939-1940 SM-sarja season did not take place because of the Winter War, which made playing ice hockey impossible.


1939–40 Scottish Districts season
The 1939–40 Scottish Districts season is a record of all the rugby union matches for Scotland's district teams.


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, History
There was no Inter-City match this year due to the Second World War.


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, History
Permission was given for a South of Scotland District side to play a military XV in aid of the Red Cross. The match was scheduled for 4 November 1939.


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, History
East of Scotland District played an West of Scotland District side.


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, History
The Cities District versus Army XV match was organised in aid of the City of Glasgow Central War Relief Fund; and raised nearly £26,000.


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
Cities District: J . W . Adair ( Heriot ' s F . P . ); D . H . J . Neil ( Glasgow High School F . P . ) , J . G . S . Forrest ( Cambridge University ) , H . Wylie ( Watsonians ) , and G . II . Caithness ( Edinburgh City Police ); D . Yellowlees ( Outcasts ) and M . R . Dewar ( Watsonians ); H . Thomson ( Glascow Academicals ) , P . W . Tait ( Hoyal High School F .


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
P ) 1 ) . W . Deas ( Heriot ' s F . P . ) , J , D . Burnett ( Kilmarnock ) J . C . llornel ( Ardeer ) , J . H . Orr ( Edinburgh City Police ) It . Mackay ( Glasgow High School V . V . ) , and 1 ! . J . L . Hammond ( Royal Navy . ) Army Rugby Union: Pte . " J . Butler ; Pte . I . Shankland , 2 nd Lieut , ir . G . Uren . Pte .


1939–40 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
H . Carruthersand 2 nd Lieut . A . M . Stevenson ; Pte . A . L . Crozier and Lance-Corporal . 1 . Hosarth ; Pte . . r . Hobson , Gunner W . C . Henderson Pte . W . Brunton 2 nd Lieut . R . II . Park , Lance-Corporal K . Cowe 2 nd Lieut , . 1 . N . Cadzow . 2 nd Lieut . P . L . Dull , and Sergeant-Major L . Denham


1939–40 Scottish War Emergency League
The Scottish War Emergency League was an football league competition set up in the 1939–40 season of Scottish football, after the usual official competitions were suspended due to the outbreak of World War II.


1939–40 Scottish War Emergency League
The Scottish Football League officially suspended its competition on 13 September 1939 and set up a committee to investigate the possibility of regional league competitions. These were rubber-stamped on 26 September after the Home Secretary had granted permission, they commenced a month later. There were two divisions; Eastern and Western; each consisting of 16 clubs. This left six of the previous league clubs; Montrose, Brechin City, Forfar Athletic, Leith Athletic, Edinburgh City and East Stirlingshire.


1939–40 Scottish War Emergency League
Cowdenbeath resigned halfway through the season, they had played all the other clubs once and so their record was allowed to stand. The competition was completed by a play-off between the two divisional winners, who were Rangers and Falkirk; Rangers won 2–1 at Hampden Park.


1939–40 Scottish War Emergency League
For the following season, competitions were organised separately in different parts of the country: the Southern Football League and the North Eastern Football League, which lasted until the resumption of official competitions in 1946 (although the Southern League 'absorbed' the North Eastern League in the 1945–46 season).


1939–40 Segunda División
The 1939–40 Segunda División season, the first after a three-year hiatus caused by the Spanish Civil War, saw 40 teams participate in the second flight Spanish league. Murcia was promoted to Primera División. RD Oriamendi, Sestao, Alavés, Erandio, Granollers, Ferroviaria, Imperio de Madrid, Mallorca, Constancia, Elche, Alicante, Burjassot, Imperial de Murcia, Ceuta SC, Onuba and Tánger were relegated to Tercera División due to a Federation decision.


1939–40 Serbian League
The Serbian League season of 1939–40 (Serbian: 1939/40 Српска лига / 1939/40 Srpska liga) was a league which along the Croato-Slovenian one, will form the final group of teams to participate in the 1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship. The clubs from the Vardar Banovina, Vrbas Banovina, Zeta Banovina, Morava Banovina Drina Banovina, and Danube Banovina competed in the Serbian League.


1939–40 Serbian League
BSK Beograd was the league champion. SK Jugoslavija and FK Slavija will be joined by the top three clubs from the Croato-Slovenian League and will play the final stage of the 1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship. SK Zemun will be relegated from the Serbian League.


1939–40 Serie B
The Serie B 1939–40 was the eleventh tournament of this competition played in Italy since its creation.


1939–40 Serie B, Teams
Brescia, Udinese, Molinella and Catania had been promoted from Serie C, while Livorno and Lucchese had been relegated from Serie A.


1939–40 Serie C
The 1939–40 Serie C was the fifth edition of Serie C, the third highest league in the Italian football league system.


1939–40 Sheffield Shield season
The 1939–40 Sheffield Shield season was the 44th season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. New South Wales won the championship.


1939–40 Sheffield Shield season
During the match between Queensland and Victoria in January 1940, Victorian openers Ian Lee and Ben Barnett became the first openers to achieve partnerships of 150 or more in both innings of a Shield match, when they put on 152 (Lee 90, Barnett 92) and 169 (Lee 93, Barnett 104*).


1939–40 Slovenian Republic League
The 1939–40 Slovenian Republic League was the 21st season of the Slovenian Republic League. Železničar Maribor have won the league for the second time, defeating I. SSK Maribor 2–1 in the final.


1939–40 Slovenská liga
The 1939–40 Slovenská liga (English:Slovak league) was the second season of the Slovenská liga, the first tier of league football in the Slovak Republic, formerly part of Czechoslovakia until the German occupation of the country in March 1939.


1939–40 Slovenská liga
In the Slovak Republic an independent Slovak league had been established in 1939 and played out its own championship which was won by ŠK Bratislava in 1939–40. In the German-annexed Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia a separate league, the  Národní liga (English:National league), was played and won by Slavia Prague in the 1939–40 season. A national Czechoslovak championship was not played between 1939 and 1945.


1939–40 Slovenská liga, Table
For the 1939–40 season FC Vrútky, VAS Bratislava and SK Banská Bystrica had been newly promoted to the league.


1939–40 Southern Football League
The 1939–40 season was the 42nd in the history of the Southern League. The league was split into two sections, Eastern and Western as part of an emergency war-time competition. Chelmsford City won the Eastern Section and Lovell's Athletic won the Western one. A championship play-off between the two clubs was drawn 3–3 and they were declared joint champions. After this season, the Southern Football League did not resume until World War II had ended in 1945.


1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season
The 1939–40 season was Stoke City's fifth season in the non-competitive War League. It would have been their 26th season in the Football League First Division but after just three matches the League was cancelled due to World War II.


1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season
In 1939 World War II was declared and the Football League was cancelled. In its place were formed War Leagues and cups, based on geographical lines rather than based on previous league placement. However, none of these were considered to be competitive football, and thus their records are not recognised by the Football League and thus not included in official records.


1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season, Season review
Stoke started the 1939–40 season with a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Football League Jubilee Fund losing 4–2. The Stoke players wore squad numbers for the first time in this match. After just three First Division matches had been played the Football League was cancelled and although a regional war-league was set up attendances suffered alarmingly. Stoke had looked a useful side with a lot of young, talented players before the hostilities came along and ruined the careers of many and from October 1939 to May 1946 the club missed out on what could have been a successful seven-year period.


1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season, Season review
With the cancellation of the league action, the re-organised competitions started on 21 October 1939, with 82 of the 88 clubs participating. Stoke drew their first match 4–4 with Everton with Tommy Sale scoring a fine hat-trick. With players being called up for military duty and with travelling very difficult plus the fact that Stanley Matthews was in heavy demand for guest matches team selection was never easy for Bob McGrory. Stoke brought in their own guest players to the Victoria Ground and they proved to be very successful as Stoke won the 1939–40 Western League finishing two points ahead of Liverpool.


1939–40 Sussex County Football League
The 1939–40 Sussex County Football League season was the 20th in the history of the competition.


1939–40 Sussex County Football League
Due to the Second World War, a war-time emergency competition was announced and 16 teams were placed into two separate leagues, 8 teams in the Eastern Division and 8 in the Western Division. With the winners of each league playing in a play-off to decide the overall winner.


1939–40 Sussex County Football League, Clubs
The league featured 16 clubs, 14 which competed in the last season, along with two new clubs:


1939–40 Svenska Serien season
The 1939–40 Svenska Serien season was the fifth season of the Svenska Serien, the top level ice hockey league in Sweden. Hammarby IF won the league title for the second consecutive season.


1939–40 Svenska mästerskapet (men's handball)
The 1939–40 Svenska mästerskapet was the ninth season of Svenska mästerskapet, a tournament held to determine the Swedish Champions of men's handball. Teams qualified by winning their respective District Championships. 15 teams competed in the tournament. Upsala Studenters IF were the defending champions, but failed to win the District Championship of Uppland and did not qualify. Majornas IK won their second title, defeating IFK Karlskrona in the final. The final was originally to be played on 15 April, but was rescheduled two days before that date due to fear for bombing. The final was eventually played on 20 October in Mässhallen in Gothenburg, and was watched by 2,264 spectators.


1939–40 Svenska mästerskapet (men's handball), Champions
The following players for Majornas IK received a winner's medal: Jarl Nyberg, Sven-Eric Forsell, Gösta Swerin, Åker Forslund, Stig Hjortsberg, Åke Gustafsson, Gustav-Adolf Thorén, Lars Lindstrand, Torsten Henriksson and Bertil Pihl.


1939–40 Swedish football Division 2
Statistics of Swedish football Division 2 for the 1939–40 season.


1939–40 Swedish football Division 2, League standings, Division 2 Norra 1939–40
Teams from a large part of northern Sweden, approximately above the province of Medelpad, were not allowed to play in the national league system until the 1953–54 season.


1939–40 Swedish football Division 3
Statistics of Swedish football Division 3 for the 1939–40 season.


1939–40 Taça de Portugal
The 1939–40 Taça de Portugal was the 2nd season of the Taça de Portugal (English: Portuguese Cup), the premier Portuguese football knockout competition, organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Académica de Coimbra was the defending champion but lost in the first round to Boavista. The final was played on 7 July 1940 between S.L. Benfica and Belenenses.


1939–40 Taça de Portugal, First round
In this round entered the teams from Primeira Divisão (1st level) and Segunda Divisão (2nd level).


1939–40 Taça de Portugal, Quarterfinals
In this round entered the winner from Madeira Championship and the winners of the previous round.


1939–40 Toronto Maple Leafs season
The 1939–40 Toronto Maple Leafs season was Toronto's 23rd season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Maple Leafs again advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the New York Rangers.


1939–40 Toronto Maple Leafs season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalty Minutes, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1939–40 Toronto Maple Leafs season, Playoffs
The Maple Leafs played the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings in the first two rounds of the playoffs in best of three series, and swept both. In the finals, they played the New York Rangers in a best of seven series and lost 4–2.


1939–40 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 1939–40 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. The Bruins were led by first year head coach Wilbur Johns. They finished the regular season with a record of 8–17 and were fourth in the southern division with a record of 3–9.


1939–40 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team, Previous season
The Bruins finished the regular season with a record of 7–20 and were fourth in the southern division with a record of 0–12. At the end of the season, Caddy Works stepped down as head coach and was replaced by long time assistant Wilbur Johns.


1939–40 USC Trojans men's basketball team
The 1939–40 USC Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season in the United States. Their head coach was Sam Barry, coaching in his 11th season with the Trojans. The Trojans played their home games in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California as members of the South division of the Pacific Coast Conference. The team finished the season 20–3, 10–2 in PCC play to win the South division. They swept North division champion Oregon State in the best of three series to win the PCC championship. USC was invited to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Colorado before losing to Kansas in the Final Four. Despite the loss, they were named national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation.


1939–40 USC Trojans men's basketball team
Forward Ralph Vaughn was named an All-American at the end of the season.


1939–40 USM Alger season
In the 1939–40 season, USM Alger is competing in the First Division for the 3rd season French colonial era, as well as the Forconi Cup. They will be competing in First Division, Coupe de la Ligue, and the Coupe de la Solidarité.


1939–40 USM Alger season, Squad information, Playing statistics
Statistics for eight games only and six games does Its figures.


1939–40 USM Alger season, Squad information, Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.


1939–40 USM Blida season
In the 1939–40 season, USM Blida is competing in the First Division for the 7th season French colonial era, as well as the Forconi Cup. They will be competing in First Division, and the Coupe de la Ligue.


1939–40 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season
The 1939–40 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season was the 45th season of collegiate ice hockey in the United States.


1939–40 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
The 1939–40 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 1939–40 NCAA college basketball season. Led by twentieth-year head coach Hec Edmundson, the Huskies were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at the UW Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.


1939–40 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
The Huskies were 10–15 overall in the regular season and 6–10 in conference play; fourth in the Northern division. In the season finale in Seattle, they upset newly-crowned division winner Oregon State.


1939–40 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The 1939–40 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State College for the 1939–40 college basketball season. Led by twelfth-year head coach Jack Friel, the Cougars were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at WSC Gymnasium in Pullman, Washington.


1939–40 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The Cougars were 23–10 overall in the regular season and 9–7 in conference play, third place in Northern division.


1939–40 Welsh Cup
The 1939–40 FAW Welsh Cup is the 59th season of the annual knockout tournament for competitive football teams in Wales.


1939–40 Welsh Cup, Fourth round
Eight winners from the Third round plus 18 new clubs.


1939–40 Welsh Cup, Fifth round
Ten winners from the Fourth round. Cardiff City, Chester and Southport get a bye to the Sixth round.


1939–40 Welsh Cup, Sixth round
Five winners from the Fifth round plus Cardiff City, Chester and Southport.


1939–40 Welsh Cup, Semifinal
Replay between Wellington Town and New Brighton were held at Shrewsbury.


1939–40 Western Football League
The 1939–40 season was the 43rd in the history of the Western Football League.


1939–40 Western Football League
Upon the outbreak of World War II in 1939, many clubs left the Western League and it was reduced to a single division of eleven clubs. The champions for the first time in their history were Trowbridge Town, though they had won the old Division Two the previous season. This was the last season for the Western League until 1945–46, as all normal football activity was suspended during the war.


1939–40 Western Football League, Final table
The league was reduced to a single division of eleven clubs after the departure of Bath City, Bristol City "A", Bristol Rovers Reserves and their "A" team, Frome Town, Lovells Athletic, Poole Town, Portland United, Salisbury City, Street, Torquay United Reserves, Warminster Town, Weymouth, and Yeovil and Petters United and their reserve team. Two new clubs joined the league:


1939–40 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team
The 1939–40 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College during the 1939-40 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle and All-American center Carlisle Towery. The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, and received an invitation to the 1940 NCAA Basketball Tournament. This was the first team from Kentucky to participate in the NCAA tournament Herb Ball and Howard “Tip” Downing were selected to the All-SIAA team, while Towery made the All-KIAC Team.


1939–40 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
The 1939–40 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team represented the College of William & Mary in intercollegiate basketball during the 1939–40 season. Under the first year of head coach Dwight Steussey, the team finished the season 13–10 and 6–5 in the Southern Conference. This was the 35th season of the collegiate basketball program at William & Mary, whose nickname is now the Tribe.


1939–40 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
The Indians finished in a tie for 8th in the conference and did not quality for the 1940 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.


1939–40 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
William & Mary played its first overtime game in program history in February 1940 against Washington and Lee in a 33–36 loss. Additionally, the Indians played several teams for the first time this season, including St. Francis (NY), Seton Hall, The Citadel, and Furman.


1939–40 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
The 1939–1940 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented University of Wisconsin–Madison. The head coach was Harold E. Foster, coaching his sixth season with the Badgers. The team played their home games at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wisconsin and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
The 1939–40 Yorkshire Cup competition was a knock-out competition between (mainly professional) rugby league clubs from  the  county of Yorkshire. The actual area was at times increased to encompass other teams from  outside the  county such as Newcastle, Mansfield, Coventry, and even London (in the form of Acton & Willesden).


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
The competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in (or just before) December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused during, and immediately after, the two World Wars, as was the case with this season)


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
Due to the start of the Second World War, the competition was delayed until early 1940 (see later).


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
1939–40 was the thirty-second occasion on which the  Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
This season's competition is classed as a "Wartime Emergency Competition" and therefore the  results did not count as an official competition win. However, this aside, there was a new winner for this season's trophy, Featherstone Rovers winning the trophy by beating Wakefield Trinity by the score of 12-9


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
The match was played at Odsal in the City of Bradford, now in West Yorkshire. The attendance was 7,077 and receipts were £403


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup
Unlike the  1939–40 Lancashire Cup, the  Yorkshire cup was played on a straightforward knock-out basis, and not on a two-legged basis.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes
Prior to the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, most clubs had played two or three fixtures (on Saturday 26th, Thursday 31 August and Saturday 2 September).


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes
During the following week, the Northern Rugby League decided, after publicity from the Government, to suspend the championship. They almost immediately inaugurated two regional (Lancashire and Yorkshire), Wartime Emergency Leagues, with the winner of each league meeting in a play-off final to decide the overall winner. The Challenge Cup and both County Cups were suspended. There was to be no Yorkshire Cup competition in 1939.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes
But later in the season  both County Cups were resurrected.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes
The Yorkshire Cup started on Saturday 25 May/1 June and was played on consecutive weekends.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes
Each and every match was played on a knock-out basis.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes, Background
Batley, Bramley and Keighley, (the  three clubs who finishing as the bottom three in the Yorkshire League) did not appear to enter this year's competition. All had competed in the  league programme, and all competed again next seasonThe number of teams entering this year’s competition therefore decreased by three reducing the  total number of entrants to twelve.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Preamble to changes, Background
This in turn resulted in four byes in the first round.


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and Results, Final, Teams and Scorers
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points


1939–40 Yorkshire Cup, Notes
1 * Batley, Bramley and Keighley, (the  three clubs who finishing as the bottom three in the Yorkshire League) did not appear to enter this year's competition


1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship
The 1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship (Serbo-Croato-Slovenian: Državno prvenstvo 1939/40 / Државно првенство 1939/40) was the 17th, and last, season of Kingdom of Yugoslavia's premier football competition. The season lasted from May 2 to June 19, 1940.


1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship
The league played a contracted season. In 1939, as the Second World War began in parts of Europe, Croatian and Slovenian clubs began leaving the Football Association of Yugoslavia and joining the Croatian Football Federation, in protest of the supposed sports' centralization among Serbs in Belgrade.


1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship
The league included now two separate leagues which would function as qualifying leagues for the final stage, the Serbian Football League and the Croatian-Slovenian Football League. The top three clubs from each league will qualify for the final stage of the Yugoslav Championship. The Croatian-Slovenian League was formed by the clubs of the newly formed Banovina of Croatia and the Drava Banovina (corresponding to Slovenia and whose only participant was NK Ljubljana), while the Serbian League was formed by the rest of the Banovinas, namely the Danube, Drina, Morava, Vardar, Vrbas and Zeta ones.


1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship
BSK, Slavija and Jugoslavija qualified through the Serbian one, while Građanski, Hajduk and HAŠK through the Croatian-Slovenian. At the end of the season Građanski won the national title. The Yugoslav First League continued on, soon to be renamed the Serbian First League. The split was eventually rectified with the promise of more representation for Croats and Slovenes, with the national football association being restructured as the Supreme Football Association of Yugoslavia. A short, ten-game season was played.


1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship
Having been invaded by the Axis Powers on April 6, 1941, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was dismembered and this would be the last Yugoslav Championship. In 1940 the qualifiers for the Yugoslav Championship were played split in three qualifying leagues, the Serbian League and, instead of the Croato-Slovenian there was now a separate Croatian and Slovenian League. The three leagues were supposed to be the qualifiers for the 1940–41 Yugoslav Championship, however the championship was never played.


1939–40 Yugoslav Football Championship
Instead, the 1940–41 Croatian First League became the national championship of the newly created Nazi puppet state Independent State of Croatia (NDH), which enjoyed peace per se as an Axis member and continued to hold national competitions until 1944, while the Serbian Football League became the national championship of the occupied Serbia.


1939–40 Yugoslav Ice Hockey League season
The 1939–40 Yugoslav Ice Hockey League season was the fourth season of the Yugoslav Ice Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Yugoslavia. Four teams participated in the league, and Ilirija have won the championship.


1939–40 Yugoslav Ice Hockey League season, Champions
Ice Rihar, Luce Žitnik, Jule Kačič, Kroupa, Oto Gregorčič, Jože Gogala, Mirko Eržen, Karel Pavletič, Ernest Aljančič, Viljem Morbacher.


1939–40 in Belgian football
The national football competitions in Belgium were cancelled during 1939–40 season because of the upcoming World War II. However, the Belgium national football team played two official games during the season, both against the Netherlands.


1939–40 in Belgian football, Overview
A Premier Division was started in the 1939-40 season but was stopped on May 10, 1940, when the Battle of Belgium started. Liersche SK was then leader after 9 games on 26 were played.


1939–40 in English football
The 1939–40 season was the 65th season of competitive football in England. It was suspended in September after the outbreak of World War II.


1939–40 in English football, Overview
World War II broke out early into this season. Shortly after war was declared, most competitions, including the Football League, were abandoned as the country's attention turned to the war effort. A few leagues, such as the Northern League, did manage to complete a season, but more than half of the teams were unable to fulfil all their fixtures and resigned.


1939–40 in English football, Overview
Blackpool sat at the top of the First Division table at the time the abandonment occurred. The FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round was played, but with hostilities declared before replays took place, that competition too was abandoned. Entry fees received for the 1939–40 Cup were honoured for the next Cup in 1945–46.


1939–40 in English football, Overview
Many footballers signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead. Regional league competitions were set up. Appearances in these tournaments do not count in players' official records. The FA Cup was resumed for the 1945–46 season and The Football League for the 1946–47 season.


1939–40 in English football, Honours, Wartime
After the abandonment of the football programme, the league was split into ten mini regional leagues. A national cup competition was also held.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football
The 1939–40 season was the 13th season of competitive football in the British Mandate for Palestine under the Eretz Israel Football Association.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1939 Palestine League
Matches of the 1939 Palestine League, which, due to the Arab Revolt, was split into regional leagues, rather than holding a national championship, were carried from the previous season , and were finished in fall 1939. Maccabi Tel Aviv and British Police won the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem divisions of top tier Liga Alef, while Hapoel Hadera, Beitar Tel Aviv and Maccabi Rehovot won their Liga Bet regional divisions.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1940 Palestine League
Shortly after the conclusion of the previous league season, a new league season was held, starting on 3 February 1940. League matches were completed in early July 1940, with Hapoel Tel Aviv winning the championship.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1940 Palestine League, Liga Bet
In Liga Bet, Hapoel Hadera, Degel Zion Tel Aviv and RSG Rehovot won their regional divisions. At the end of the season, Degel Zion, Hapoel Hadera and Hapoel Rishon LeZion (who finished as runners-up in the South division) competed for promotions to the top division, with Hapoel Rishon LeZion and Degel Zion winning promotion.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1940 Palestine League, Liga Gimel
For the first time the EIFA arranged a third division, which was divided into two regions, Samaria (North) and South. Among the teams participating in the league were future league champions Bnei Yehuda and Hapoel Kfar Saba, both making their debut in the league.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1940 Palestine League, Liga Gimel
Only a handful of results are known. Maccabi Kfar Saba and Hakoach Rishon LeZion won the Samaria and South divisions and qualified along with their runners-up, Hapoel Kfar Saba and HaMa'avir Tel Aviv to the promotion play-offs, at the end which the top three teams were promoted to Liga Bet. However, as club registration for the following season was low, all third division clubs that registered to play were placed in Liga Bet.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1940 Palestine Cup
Hapoel Tel Aviv, the defending cup holders were beaten by local rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–4 in the semi-finals. In the final, Maccabi were beaten 1–3 by Beitar Tel Aviv.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, Jerusalem League
A five-team league was played in Jerusalem during spring 1940, with each team playing its opponents twice. Maccabi Bar Kochva Jerusalem won the league.


1939–40 in Mandatory Palestine football, National team
The national Eretz Israel team hosted the Lebanese national team in a friendly match, Lebanon's first official international, which was played on 27 April 1940.


1939–40 in Scottish football
The 1939–40 was the 67th season of competitive football in Scotland. It would have been the 50th season of Scottish Football League, but the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 caused the suspension of the league after five rounds of games played in Division One, and four rounds in Division Two. The league was not officially competed for until the 1946–47 season but there were regional leagues played during these years.


1939–40 in Scottish football, Emergency League
The Scottish League officially suspended its competition on 13 September 1939 and set up a committee to investigate the possibility of regional league competitions. These were rubber-stamped on 26 September after the Home Secretary had granted permission, they commenced a month later. There were two divisions; Eastern and Western; each consisting of 16 clubs. This left six of the previous league clubs; Montrose, Brechin City, Forfar Athletic, Leith Athletic, Edinburgh City and East Stirlingshire.


1939–40 in Scottish football, Emergency League
Cowdenbeath resigned halfway through the season, they had played all the other clubs once and so their record was allowed to stand. The competition was completed by a play-off between the two divisional winners, who were Rangers and Falkirk, Rangers won 2–1 at Hampden Park.


1939–40 in Scottish football, Other honours, National
Rangers were winners of the Emergency Cup after a 1–0 win over Dundee United in the final.


1939–40 in Scottish football, Junior Cup
Maryhill were winners of the Junior Cup after a 1–0 win over Morton Juniors in the final.


1939–40 in Swedish football
The 1939–40 season in Swedish football, starting August 1939 and ending July 1940:


1939–40 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Sven Bergquist - Harry Nilsson, Erik Källström - Gösta Dahl, Arvid Emanuelsson, Karl-Erik Grahn - Arne Nyberg, Knut Johansson, Ragnar Lennartsson, Sven Jonasson, Stig Nyström.


193d Special Operations Squadron
The 193d Special Operations Squadron (193 SOS) is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193d Special Operations Wing located at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania, The 193d is equipped with the EC-130J Commando Solo.


193d Special Operations Squadron, Mission
Flying the EC-130J Commando Solo, a specially-modified four-engine Hercules transport, the 193d Special Operations Squadron conducts information operations, psychological operations and civil affairs broadcasts in AM, FM, HF, TV and military communications bands. A typical mission consists of a single-ship orbit offset from the desired target audience – either military or civilian personnel. The Air Force Special Operations Command's 193d Special Operations Wing, Middletown, Pa., has total responsibility for the Commando Solo missions.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, World War II
Activated on 1 October 1942 at RAF Duxford, England as the 347th Fighter Squadron. Initially assigned to VIII Fighter Command, reassigned to Twelfth Air Force and engaged in combat in the North African Campaign and later based in Italy as part of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Engaged in combat during Sicilian and Italian Campaigns, also flew combat missions from Sardinia and in the Rhone Valley of France, 1944. Inactivated on 7 November 1945.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard
The wartime 347th Fighter Squadron was reactivated and re-designated as the 148th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Reading Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania and was extended federal recognition on 27 February 1947. The 148th Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history, honors, and colors of the 347th. The squadron was equipped with F-51 Mustangs and was assigned to the 112th Fighter Group at Pittsburgh Airport as a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU).


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Air Defense
The unit was called to active federal service on 1 February 1951 for duty in the Korean War. The squadron was sent to Dover AFB, Delaware where it assumed an air defense mission. The squadron was re-equipped with F-84C Thunderjets to perform air defense over the Delmarva Peninsula. It was upgraded to the dedicated F-94B Starfire interceptor by October 1951. It was released from active duty and returned to Pennsylvania commonwealth control on 1 November 1952.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Air Defense
Remained under ADC control after return Reading, was re-designated as a Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Equipped with F-51D Mustangs with an air defense mission for Southeastern Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Air Defense
With the end of the line for the Mustang in USAF service, the United States Air Force, in an effort to upgrade to an all jet fighter force, required Air National Guard Air Defense Command units to upgrade to jet-powered aircraft. The Reading Airport Commission and National Guard authorities found themselves in a conflict over the use of Reading Municipal Airport for tactical jet operations. Unable to resolve these differences the Air Force inactivated the 148th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 30 June 1956.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airlift
However, the National Guard Bureau's and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's desire to retain the unit brought a new mission and a numeric designation to the organization, the  140th Aeromedical Transport Squadron which was allotted to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, and activated on 1 July 1956 using propeller-driven aircraft.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airlift
The 140th Aeromedical Transport Squadron was bestowed the lineage and history of the inactivated Pennsylvania ANG 148th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. The unit was re-equipped, flying the C-46 Commando and in 1958 the C-119 Flying Boxcar. In 1960, the 140th was notified that it would be converting once again to the much larger and faster C-121 Constellation. Due to runway requirements, the C-121s could not fly from Reading Airport and on 1 February 1961, the unit relocated to its current location at Olmsted Air Force Base (present day Harrisburg Air National Guard Base) due to the inadequate facilities at Reading.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airlift
On 15 October 1964, the 140th Air Transport Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level by the National Guard Bureau. However, due to a designation conflict with an existing 140th Fighter Group with the Colorado ANG, the units designation was changed to the 168th Air Transport Squadron, being assigned to the new 168th Air Transport Group as its flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 168th Headquarters, 168th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 168th Combat Support Squadron, and the 168th USAF Dispensary.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Special operations
Threatened by the closure of Olmsted Air Force Base and by the downsizing of all conventionally powered transport aircraft, the National Guard Bureau volunteered the unit for a psychological warfare capability named "Coronet Solo." Following the Arab-Israeli War of June 1967, psychological warfare once again became a U.S. military priority. The unit was again re-designated as the 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare Group and transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC). Four of its C-121s were converted to EC-121S Coronet Solos for its electronic warfare mission.


193d Special Operations Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Special operations
The mission later transitioned to the EC-130E (1980) and eventually to the EC-130J (2004). Soon after the 193d SOG received EC-130s, the Air National Guard unit participated in the rescue of American citizens in Operation Urgent Fury in 1983. Then known as Volant Solo, the aircraft acted as an airborne radio station, keeping the citizens of Grenada informed about the U.S. military action. Several years later in 1989, Volant Solo was instrumental in the success of coordinated psychological operations in Operation Just Cause. During this mission it broadcast throughout the initial phases of the operation, helping to end the Noriega regime.