Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football league in which semi-professional and amateur clubs from the south-west and south of England and the Midlands participate. For historical reasons, the Welsh club Merthyr Tydfil is also currently playing .
The structure of the league has changed several times since it was founded in 1894. Currently 65 clubs play in 4 groups. The Premier Division Central and Premier Division South form the 3rd tier of the national league system under Conference South . The regional groups (Division One Central and Division One South) are located under the Premier Division. Various regional leagues are located under the regional groups.
history
Professional football developed more slowly in southern England than in northern England. When the FA allowed professional football in 1885 and The Football League was founded in 1888 , the county FAs resisted professionalization.
Woolwich Arsenal (now known as Arsenal FC ) was the first London club to start professional football in 1891. Arsenal was the main motivator behind the attempt to create the Southern League as an imitation of the existing Football League. This attempt failed and so in 1893 Arsenal became the first member of the Football League south of Birmingham . In 1892 an amateur league called the Southern Alliance was founded, which had 7 members, but closed its gates after an incomplete season. In 1894, Millwall Athletic started a new attempt for the Southern League. It became a league for professional and amateur teams.
The 16 founding members were:
2nd Scots Guards withdrew before season one and were replaced by Southampton St Mary's . Woolwich Arsenal tried to send their second team to the second division, the request was denied.
The Southern League quickly became the dominant league apart from The Football League in southern and central England. In 1907 she accepted the first northern contestant: Bradford Park Avenue . Of the 16 founding members, only 5 remained in the league: Gillingham (renamed New Brompton), Luton Town, Millwall, Reading, Southampton and Swindon Town. In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur won the FA Cup as the first and only club from the Southern League .
Former Southern League champions
| season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1894/95 | Millwall Athletic | New Brompton |
| 1895/96 | Millwall Athletic | Wolverton L & NWR |
| 1896/97 | Southampton St Mary's | Dartford |
| 1897/98 | Southampton | Royal Artillery Portsmouth |
For the 1898/99 season, Division Two was divided into the London and South West groups, the champions played a play-off.
| season | Division One | Division Two (London) | Division Two (SW) | Division Two Playoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898/99 | Southampton FC | Thames Ironworks | Cowes | Thames wins 3-1 |
In the 1899/00 season, the league returned to the old format.
| season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1899/00 | Tottenham Hotspur | Watford FC |
| 1900/01 | Southampton FC | Brentford FC |
| 1901/02 | Portsmouth FC | Fulham FC |
| 1902/03 | Southampton FC | Fulham FC |
| 1903/04 | Southampton FC | Watford FC |
| 1904/05 | Bristol Rovers | Fulham Reserves |
| 1905/06 | Fulham FC | Crystal Palace |
| 1906/07 | Fulham FC | Southend United |
| 1907/08 | Queens Park Rangers | Southend United |
| 1908/09 | Northampton Town | Croydon Common |
In the 1909/10 season, Division Two was divided into two groups, the champions played a play-off.
| season | Division One | Division Two (A) | Division Two (B) | Division Two Playoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909/10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | FC Stoke | Hastings & St Leonards | Stoke wins 6-0 |
In the 1910/11 season, the league returned to the old format.
| season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1910/11 | Swindon Town | Reading FC |
| 1911/12 | Queens Park Rangers | Merthyr Town |
| 1912/13 | Plymouth Argyle | Cardiff City |
| 1913/14 | Swindon Town | Croydon Common |
| 1914/15 | Watford FC | FC Stoke |
| 1919/20 | Portsmouth FC | Mid Rhondda |
At the end of the 1919/20 season, the majority of the First Division teams moved to the Third Division of the Football League. The Southern League was therefore divided into two national groups: 1 for England, one for Wales, the champions played a play-off.
| season | English Section | Welsh Section | Championship playoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920/21 | Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves | Barry FC | Brighton wins 2-1 |
| 1921/22 | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Ebbw Vale AFC | Plymouth wins 3-0 |
| 1922/23 | Bristol City Reserves | Ebbw Vale AFC | Ebbw Vale wins 2-1 |
In the 1923/24 season, the league was divided into two regional groups, the winners played a play-off.
| season | Eastern Section | Western Section | Championship playoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923/24 | Peterborough & Fletton United | Yeovil & Petters United | Yeovil wins 3-1 |
| 1924/25 | Southampton Reserves | Swansea Town Reserves | Southampton wins 2-1 |
| 1925/26 | Millwall Reserves | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Plymouth wins 1-0 |
| 1926/27 | Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves | Torquay United | Brighton wins 4-0 |
| 1927/28 | Kettering Town | Bristol City Reserves | Kettering wins 5-0 |
| 1928/29 | Kettering Town | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Plymouth wins 4-2 |
| 1929/30 | Aldershot Town | Bath City | Aldershot wins 3-2 |
| 1930/31 | Dartford FC | Exeter City Reserves | Dartford wins 7-2 |
| 1931/32 | Dartford FC | Yeovil & Petters United | Dartford wins 2-1 |
| 1932/33 | Norwich City Reserves | Bath City | Norwich wins 2-1 |
In the 1933/34 season an additional group, the Central Section, was introduced. The Central Section included teams from the other groups and did not apply to the overall championship.
| season | Eastern Section | Western Section | Central Section | Championship playoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933/34 | Norwich City Reserves | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Plymouth wins 3-0 |
| 1934/35 | Norwich City Reserves | Yeovil & Petters United | Folkestone FC | Norwich wins 7-2 |
| 1935/36 | Margate FC | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Margate | Margate wins 3-1 |
In the 1936/37 season the groups were merged into one, in addition there was a midweek section that did not count for the championship.
| season | Southern League | Midweek Section |
|---|---|---|
| 1936/37 | Ipswich Town | Margate FC |
| 1937/38 | Guildford City | Millwall Reserves |
| 1938/39 | Colchester United | Tunbridge Wells Rangers |
In the 1945/46 season, the midweek section was suspended because of the Second World War .
| season | Southern League |
|---|---|
| 1945/46 | Chelmsford City |
| 1946/47 | Gillingham FC |
| 1947/48 | Merthyr Tydfil FC |
| 1948/49 | Gillingham FC |
| 1949/50 | Merthyr Tydfil FC |
| 1950/51 | Merthyr Tydfil FC |
| 1951/52 | Merthyr Tydfil FC |
| 1952/53 | Headington United |
| 1953/54 | Merthyr Tydfil FC |
| 1954/55 | Yeovil Town |
| 1955/56 | Guildford City |
| 1956/57 | Kettering Town |
| 1957/58 | Gravesend & Northfleet |
In the 1958/59 season, the Southern League was again divided into 2 groups, the winners played a play-off.
| season | North-Western Section | South-Eastern Section | Championship playoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958/59 | Hereford United | Bedford Town | Bedford wins 3-0 |
In the following season the 2 groups formed the Premier Division. Division One was formed.
| season | Premier Division | Division One |
|---|---|---|
| 1959/60 | Bath City | Clacton Town |
| 1960/61 | Oxford United | Kettering Town |
| 1961/62 | Oxford United | Wisbech Town |
| 1962/63 | Cambridge City | Margate FC |
| 1963/64 | Yeovil Town | Folkestone Town |
| 1964/65 | Weymouth FC | Hereford United |
| 1965/66 | Weymouth FC | Barnet FC |
| 1966/67 | Romford FC | Dover FC |
| 1967/68 | Chelmsford City | Worcester City |
| 1968/69 | Cambridge United | Brentwood Town |
| 1969/70 | Cambridge United | Bedford Town |
| 1970/71 | Yeovil Town | Guildford City |
In the 1971/72 season, Division One was regionalized.
| season | Premier Division | One North Division | One South Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971/72 | Chelmsford City | Kettering Town | FC Waterlooville |
| 1972/73 | Kettering Town | Grantham FC | Maidstone United |
| 1973/74 | Dartford FC | Stourbridge FC | Wealdstone FC |
| 1974/75 | Wimbledon FC | Bedford Town | Gravesend & Northfleet |
| 1975/76 | Wimbledon FC | Redditch United | Minehead FC |
| 1976/77 | Wimbledon FC | Worcester City | Barnet FC |
| 1977/78 | Bath City | Witney Town | Margate FC |
| 1978/79 | Worcester City | Grantham FC | Dover FC |
In the 1979/80 season, 13 Premier Division teams migrated to the new Alliance Premier League. The Premier Division and Division One (the Southern League) were merged and divided into 2 groups according to regional criteria.
| season | Midland Division | Southern Division |
|---|---|---|
| 1979/80 | Bridgend Town | Dorchester Town |
| 1980/81 | Alvechurch FC | Dartford FC |
| 1981/82 | Nuneaton Borough | Wealdstone FC |
In the 1982/83 season, the Premier Division was reintroduced over the regional groups.
| season | Premier Division | Midland Division | Southern Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982/83 | Leamington FC | Cheltenham Town | Fisher Athletic |
| 1983/84 | Dartford FC | Willenhall Town | Road Sea Southampton |
| 1984/85 | Cheltenham Town | Dudley Town | Basingstoke Town |
| 1985/86 | Welling United | Bromsgrove Rovers | Cambridge City |
| 1986/87 | Fisher Athletic | VS rugby | Dorchester Town |
| 1987/88 | Aylesbury United | Merthyr Tydfil FC | Dover Athletic |
| 1988/89 | Merthyr Tydfil FC | Gloucester City | Chelmsford City |
| 1989/90 | Dover Athletic | Halesowen Town | Bashley FC |
| 1990/91 | Farnborough Town | Stourbridge FC | Buckingham Town |
| 1991/92 | Bromsgrove Rovers | Solihull Borough | Hastings Town |
| 1992/93 | Dover Athletic | Nuneaton Borough | Sittingbourne FC |
| 1993/94 | Farnborough Town | Rushden & Diamonds | Gravesend & Northfleet |
| 1994/95 | Hednesford Town | AFC Newport County | Salisbury City |
| 1995/96 | Rushden & Diamonds | Nuneaton Borough | Sittingbourne FC |
| 1996/97 | Gresley Rovers | Tamworth FC | Forest Green Rovers |
| 1997/98 | Forest Green Rovers | Grantham Town | Weymouth FC |
| 1998/99 | Nuneaton Borough | Clevedon Town | Havant & Waterlooville |
| 1999/00 | Boston United | Stafford Rangers | Fisher Athletic |
In the 2000/01 season, the regional groups were again called Western and Eastern divisions.
| season | Premier Division | Western Division | Eastern Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000/01 | Margate FC | Hinckley United | Newport FC IOW |
| 2001/02 | Kettering Town | Halesowen Town | Hastings Town |
| 2002/03 | Tamworth FC | Merthyr Tydfil FC | Dorchester Town |
| 2003/04 | Crawley Town | Redditch United | King's Lynn FC |
| 2004/05 | FC Histon | Mangotsfield United | Fisher Athletic |
| 2005/06 | Salisbury City | Clevedon Town | Boreham Wood FC |
In the 2006/07 season, the two regional groups were again called Division One Milands and Division One South & West.
| season | Premier Division | Division One Midlands | Division One South & West |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006/07 | Bath City | Brackley Town | Bashley FC |
| 2007/08 | King's Lynn FC | Evesham United | Farnborough FC |
| 2008/09 | Corby Town | Leamington FC | Truro City |
| 2009/10 | Farnborough FC | Bury Town | Windsor & Eton |
| 2010/11 | Truro City | Arlesey Town | AFC Totton |
| 2011/12 | Brackley Town | St. Neots Town | AFC Bideford |
| 2012/13 | Leamington FC | Burnham FC | Poole Town |
| 2013/14 | Hemel Hempstead Town | Dunstable Town | Cirencester Town |
| 2014/15 | Corby Town | Kettering Town | Merthyr Town |
| 2015/16 | Poole Town | Kings Langley FC | Cinderford Town |
| 2016/17 | Chippenham Town | Royston Town | Hereford FC |
From the 2017/18 season, the regional groups were again called West and East Division.
| season | Premier Division | East Division | West Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Hereford FC | Beaconsfield Town | Taunton Town |
The league was completely reorganized in the 2018/19 season. The Premier Division was split into two groups - Central and South, while Division One groups were again named Central and South.
| season | Premier Division Central | Premier Division South | One Central division | One South Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | Kettering Town | Weymouth FC | Peterborough Sports | Blackfield & Langley |
League structure
The league structure has been subject to some changes and currently consists of the Premier Division and including Division One South & West and Division One Midlands. The winners of the Premier Division move up to the Conference North or Conference South Division together with the winners of the play-offs . The relegated members of the Southern League will play in one of the following leagues next season:
- Combined Counties League
- Hellenic Football League
- Midland Football Alliance
- Spartan South Midlands League
- United Counties League
- Wessex League
- Western Football League