Kent League
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
For the 2011-13 seasons, the league is sponsored by Hürlimann Sternbräu lager, brewed by Kentish brewers, Shepherd Neame
and is therefore billed as the Kent Hurlimann Football League
(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
. Prior to the 2011-12 season, clubs could get relegated to the Kent County League
, although in practice this rarely happened. The formation of the new Kent Invicta Football League
for the 2011-12 season now means there is a Step 6 league allowing for more common promotion/relegation between the Kent League and the Kent Invicta League.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
league for teams based in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and south east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which was established in 1966. It was also the name of a similar league which existed from 1894 until 1959.
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
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
teams. Gradually, the reserve sides were all shifted down into the lower divisions.
In 2006 The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
asked the Kent League and the Essex Senior Football League
Essex Senior Football League
The Essex Senior Football League is an English football league covering Essex, northeast Greater London and the eastern part of Hertfordshire. It is a feeder to Division One North of Isthmian League and has a single division which sits at step 5 of the National League System.There is no automatic...
to consider a possible future merger.
Sponsorship
For the 2010-12 season, the league was sponsored by Safety Net Associates and the league was thus billed as the Safety Net Associates Kent Football League.For the 2011-13 seasons, the league is sponsored by Hürlimann Sternbräu lager, brewed by Kentish brewers, Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame is an English regional brewery founded in 1698 by Richard Marsh in Faversham, Kent. It is a family owned brewery that produces a range of cask ales and filtered beers. Production is around 230,000 barrels a year...
and is therefore billed as the Kent Hurlimann Football League
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 SystemNational League System
The National League System comprises the seven levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the Premier League and The Football League. It contains 91 league competitions and more than 1,600 clubs. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association...
(which equates to Level 9 of the overall English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
), with clubs able to move upwards to the Step 4 divisions of the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
. Prior to the 2011-12 season, clubs could get relegated to the Kent County League
Kent County League
The Kent County League, currently known as the haart of Kent County League for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition based in Kent, England. The league has four senior divisions - a Premier Division, Division One Division Two East and West, plus reserve divisions...
, although in practice this rarely happened. The formation of the new Kent Invicta Football League
Kent Invicta Football League
The Kent Invicta Football League is a football league in England, formed in 2011 to commence operations for the 2011–12 season.-Formation:Negotiations to form a new Step 6 division began in 2009 to make promotion and relegation between the Kent League and Kent County League easier, as there had...
for the 2011-12 season now means there is a Step 6 league allowing for more common promotion/relegation between the Kent League and the Kent Invicta League.
Teams 2011-12
(announced after League AGM on June 23)Club |
Finishing position 2010–11 2010–11 in English football The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May... |
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Beckenham Town Beckenham Town F.C. Beckenham Town F.C. is a football club based in Beckenham, London, England. In 1982, they joined the Kent League and reached the 4th round of the FA Vase in the 1980-81 season... |
10th |
Canterbury City Canterbury City F.C. Canterbury City F.C. are a football club currently based in Herne Bay near Canterbury, England. Reformed in 2007, they are the first football club formed as a Community interest company. For the 2011–12 season they will compete in the Kent League Premier Division... |
2nd in Kent County League Kent County League The Kent County League, currently known as the haart of Kent County League for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition based in Kent, England. The league has four senior divisions - a Premier Division, Division One Division Two East and West, plus reserve divisions... Premier Division |
Corinthian Corinthian F.C. (Kent) Corinthian Football Club is an English association football club formed in 1972 at Hartley in Kent by a millionaire builder named Ron Billings, mainly to give his sons a club to play for. The club fielded an adult side which played at the Gay Dawn Farm sports complex and enjoyed a sudden short... |
12th |
Cray Valley Paper Mills | 3rd in Kent County League Kent County League The Kent County League, currently known as the haart of Kent County League for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition based in Kent, England. The league has four senior divisions - a Premier Division, Division One Division Two East and West, plus reserve divisions... Premier Division |
Deal Town Deal Town F.C. Deal Town F.C. is a football club based in Deal in Kent, England. They were established in 1908 and won the FA Vase in 2000. They are currently members of the Kent League Premier Division.-History:... |
11th |
Erith & Belvedere Erith & Belvedere F.C. Erith & Belvedere F.C., established 1922, is a football club representing Erith, in the London Borough of Bexley. They are currently members of the Kent League Premier Division after being relegated from the Southern League Division One East in 2005.They were also founder members of the Corinthian... |
5th |
Erith Town Erith Town F.C. Erith Town Football Club is a football club based in Erith in the London Borough of Bexley, England. In their previous guise as Erith Town, they had reached the Second Round of the FA Vase five times in their history... |
8th |
Fisher Fisher F.C. Fisher F.C. are a non-League football team based in Bermondsey, London Borough of Southwark, England who play in the Kent League.-Formation:... |
16th |
Greenwich Borough Greenwich Borough F.C. Greenwich Borough F.C. is a football club based in Eltham, in the London Borough of Greenwich, England. They were established in 1928 and joined the Kent League in 1984. In the 2007-08 season, they reached the 5th round of the FA Vase losing to Hungerford Town after a replay... |
4th |
Herne Bay Herne Bay F.C. Herne Bay F.C. is an English football club based in Herne Bay, Kent. In 1974, they joined the Kent League and reached the fifth round of the FA Vase in the 1996-97 season... |
2nd |
Holmesdale Holmesdale F.C. Holmesdale F.C. is an English football club founded in South Norwood, London, but are currently based in Bromley.-History:The club was established in 1956 as Holmesdale Baptist by the 3rd East Surrey Boys Brigade Company. The word Baptist was dropped from the club's name the following year... |
14th |
Lordswood Lordswood F.C. Lordswood F.C. is a football club based in Lordswood, which is a suburb of Chatham, England. They joined the Kent League in 1996 and are members of the Kent League Premier Division for the 2011-12 season.-History:... |
13th |
Sevenoaks Town Sevenoaks Town F.C. Sevenoaks Town F.C. is a football club based in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. They were established in 1883 and joined the Kent League in 2003. For the 2011-12 season, they are members of the Kent League Premier Division.-History:... |
7th |
Tunbridge Wells Tunbridge Wells F.C. Tunbridge Wells F.C. is a football club based in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. For the 2011-12 season, they are members of the Kent League Premier Division.-History:... |
6th |
VCD Athletic VCD Athletic F.C. VCD Athletic F.C. are a football club based in Crayford, London, England. They joined the Kent League in 1997... |
3rd |
Woodstock Sports | 9th |
List of champions
Original Kent League
The champions during this era were as follows:
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Current Kent League
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