Kent League

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Kent League
Country England
Founded 1966
Divisions 1 (plus 2 for reserve teams)
Number of teams 17 (plus 25 reserve teams)
Feeder to Southern Football League and/or Isthmian League
Levels on pyramid Level 9
Website Kent League home page

The Kent League is an English football league for teams based in Kent and south east London, which was established in 1966. It was also the name of a similar league which existed from 1894 until 1959.

Contents

[edit] History

The first Kent League was formed in 1894 and folded in 1959. Despite many of the same clubs having spells in membership, there is no direct connection between the two competitions.

The current incarnation of the league was formed in 1966 as the Kent Premier League (changing to the current title in 1968), and in its early years many of its members were reserve sides of Southern League teams. Gradually, the reserve sides were all shifted down into the lower divisions.

In 2006 The Football Association asked the Kent League and the Essex Senior Football League to consider a possible future merger.

[edit] Sponsorship

For the 2005-06 season the league was sponsored by the Kentish Observer newspaper, but in June 2006 it was announced that this sponsorship deal had ended. As yet no new sponsor has been found for the league. Previous sponsors included electrical wholesalers Winstonlead. [1]

[edit] Current structure

The league has three divisions: the Premier Division, First Division and Second Division. Only the Premier Division features first teams; the First and Second Divisions are for the reserve teams of Premier Division clubs and a number of other clubs in Kent. The Premier Division is now at Step 5 of the National League System (which equates to Level 9 of the overall English football league system), with clubs able to move upwards to the Step 4 divisions of the Isthmian League and/or the Southern League. Conversely, clubs can get relegated to the Kent County League, although in practice this has not happened in recent years.

[edit] List of champions

[edit] Original Kent League

The champions during this era were as follows:[2]

Season Champions
1894-95 Chatham Town
1895-96 Northfleet United
1896-97 Woolwich Arsenal reserves
1897-98 Swanscombe
1898-99 Maidstone United
1899-00 Maidstone United
1900-01 Maidstone United
1901-02 Cray Wanderers
1902-03 Sittingbourne
1903-04 Chatham Town
1904-05 Chatham Town
1905-06 Sheppey United
1906-07 Sheppey United
1907-08 Northfleet United
1908-09 Northfleet United
1909-10 Northfleet United
1910-11 Millwall reserves
1911-12 Millwall reserves
1912-13 Millwall reserves
1913-14 Crystal Palace reserves
1914-1919 no competition due to World War I
1919-20 Northfleet United
1920-21 Charlton Athletic reserves
1921-22 Maidstone United
1922-23 Maidstone United
1923-24 Charlton Athletic 'A'
1924-25 Chatham Town
1925-26 Northfleet United
1926-27 Chatham Town
Season Champions
1927-28 Sheppey United
1928-29 Bexleyheath Town
1929-30 Gillingham reserves
1930-31 Tunbridge Wells Rangers
1931-32 Northfleet United
1932-33 Margate
1933-34 London Paper Mills
1934-35 Northfleet United
1935-36 Northfleet United
1936-37 Northfleet United
1937-38 Margate
1938-39 Northfleet United
1939-1944 no competition due to World War II
1944-45 Gillingham[3] (may have been an
unofficial competition)
1945-46 Gillingham
1946-47 Margate
1947-48 Ashford Town
1948-49 Ashford Town
1949-50 Ramsgate Athletic
1950-51 Folkestone Town
1951-52 Dover
1952-53 Folkestone Town
1953-54 Deal Town
1954-55 Snowdown Colliery Welfare
1955-56 Ramsgate Athletic
1956-57 Ramsgate Athletic
1957-58 Sittingbourne
1958-59 Sittingbourne

[edit] Current Kent League

Year Champions
1966-67 Margate reserves
1967-68 Margate reserves
1968-69 Brett Sports
1969-70 Faversham Town
1970-71 Faversham Town
1971-72 Chatham
1972-73 Sheppey United
1973-74 Chatham
1974-75 Sheppey United
1975-76 Sittingbourne
1976-77 Medway
1977-78 Faversham Town
1978-79 Sheppey United
1979-80 Chatham Town
1980-81 Cray Wanderers
1981-82 Erith & Belvedere
1982-83 Crockenhill
1983-84 Sittingbourne
1984-85 Tunbridge Wells
1985-86 Alma Swanley
1986-87 Greenwich Borough
Year Champions
1987-88 Greenwich Borough
1988-89 Hythe Town
1989-90 Faversham Town
1990-91 Sittingbourne
1991-92 Herne Bay
1992-93 Tonbridge
1993-94 Herne Bay
1994-95 Sheppey United
1995-96 Furness
1996-97 Herne Bay
1997-98 Herne Bay
1998-99 Ramsgate
1999-00 Deal Town
2000-01 Chatham Town
2001-02 Maidstone United
2002-03 Cray Wanderers
2003-04 Cray Wanderers
2004-05 Ramsgate
2005-06 Maidstone United
2006-07 Whitstable Town
2007-08 Thamesmead Town

[edit] References

  1. ^ Chatham Town website
  2. ^ RSSSF
  3. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries, p54. 

[edit] External links

Kent League Premier Division 2007/08
v  d  e

Beckenham Town | Croydon | Deal Town | Erith & Belvedere | Erith Town | Faversham Town | Greenwich Borough | Herne Bay | Holmesdale | Hythe Town | Lordswood | Sevenoaks Town | Slade Green | Sporting Bengal United | Thamesmead Town | Tunbridge Wells | VCD Athletic

Kent League First Division 2007/08
v  d  e

Chatham Town | Cray Wanderers | Dartford | Erith & Belvedere | Erith Town | Folkestone Invicta | Maidstone United | Margate | Ramsgate | Sevenoaks Town | Thamesmead Town | Whitstable Town
(all reserve teams)

Kent League Second Division 2007/08
v  d  e

Croydon | Deal Town | Dover Athletic | Faversham Town | Greenwich Borough | Herne Bay | Holmesdale | Hythe Town | Lordswood | Sittingbourne | Tunbridge Wells | VCD Athletic
(all reserve teams)

English football league system – Level 9
Promotion to: Southern League and/or Isthmian League
Relegation to: Kent County League
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