The Boys football league kicked off in November 1958, and that season saw Ormerod Street United emerging as League Champions and All Whites as runners up. The first finals night was held at Back Lane, Baxenden and the presentation evening at Christchurch Hall.

For the next seven years the final nights were held at Peel Park, the home of Accrington Stanley FC, then members of the Football League.

In order to ensure that as many boys as possible were provided with a regular game of football the schools list was devised and introduced. This entailed each school selecting a squad of players who would represent their schools throughout the season; these players were then ineligible to play in the Boys league. This gave the clubs the opportunity of providing a regular game of football for non-school team players.

One of the Boys league's main aims was to foster and encourage good sportsmanship amongst it's members. In order to achieve this the Sportsmanship and consolation cups were introduced.

The league thrived and many representative squads were selected to play against other leagues, these games included visits to Preston, Doncaster and Belfast, the visit to Belfast took place in 1961 to play against Crecagh Boys who included in their team a young player named George Best.

In 1971, the League made the then courageous step, at the time of then introducing an under 13's section which included such names as Oswaldtwistle nippers and Tinker Juniors, a team called Rishton United entered this new section and as such are the leagues longest serving club.

The next extension to the league took place in 1989 with the introduction of an under 11's section.

Although predominantly set up for the players of Accrington, the stature of the league as grown in as much as it now draws teams from the surrounding areas of Blackburn, Darwen, Rossendale, Burnley and Colne and the Ribble Valley.

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