Eastern Counties League
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Eastern Counties League |
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The Eastern Counties League is a three-division league at Steps 5 and 6 in the National League system, feeding the Isthmian League and the Southern League. The catchment area covers East Anglia, mainly Norfolk, Suffolk and north Essex, with the occasional club from adjoining counties.
The league was formed in 1934 with a single division, and continued with that format until 1988 when the existing members formed a Premier Division and 14 new clubs formed Division One. Additional divisions are organised for reserve teams.
Among the founder members were Ipswich Town, who went on to win the Football League and the UEFA Cup. The current membership may not have that future ahead of them, but those with past Isthmian or Southern League experience include FC Clacton (as Clacton Town), Saffron Walden Town, Wisbech Town and Wivenhoe Town, while in recent years, Histon (2000), Maldon Town (2004), AFC Sudbury and Bury Town (both 2006), Soham Town Rangers (2008), Lowestoft Town (2009) and Needham Market (2010) have moved up from the Eastern Counties League to the either the Southern or Isthmian Leagues.
Eastern Counties League sides have quite often made the Rounds Proper of the F.A. Cup, most recently in 2008-09 when Leiston did so. The best performances date back to the 1950s when Cambridge United (1953-54) and Great Yarmouth Town (in successive seasons 1952-54) made the Second Round
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1935-36 | Shared between Harwich & Parkeston and Lowestoft Town |
| 1936-37 | Critall Athletic |
| 1937-38 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1938-39 | Colchester United reserves |
| 1939-46 | League suspended for World War II |
| 1946-47 | Chelmsford City reserves |
| 1947-48 | Chelmsford City reserves |
| 1948-49 | Chelmsford City reserves |
| 1949-50 | Tottenham Hotspur "A" |
| 1950-51 | Gillingham reserves |
| 1951-52 | Gillingham reserves |
| 1952-53 | Gorleston |
| 1953-54 | King's Lynn |
| 1954-55 | Arsenal "A" |
| 1955-56 | Peterborough United reserves |
| 1956-57 | Colchester United reserves |
| 1957-58 | Tottenham Hotspur "A" |
| 1958-59 | Colchester United reserves |
| 1959-60 | Tottenham Hotspur "A" |
| 1960-61 | Tottenham Hotspur "A" |
| 1961-62 | Tottenham Hotspur "A" |
| 1962-63 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1963-64 | Bury Town |
| 1964-65 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1965-66 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1966-67 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1967-68 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1968-69 | Great Yarmouth Town |
| 1969-70 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1970-71 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1971-72 | Wisbech Town |
| 1972-73 | Gorleston |
| 1973-74 | Sudbury Town |
| 1974-75 | Sudbury Town |
| 1975-76 | Sudbury Town |
| 1976-77 | Wisbech Town |
| 1977-78 | Lowestoft Town |
| 1978-79 | Haverhill Rovers |
| 1979-80 | Gorleston |
| 1980-81 | Gorleston |
| 1981-82 | Tiptree United |
| 1982-83 | Saffron Walden Town |
| 1983-84 | Braintree Town |
| 1984-85 | Braintree Town |
| 1985-86 | Sudbury Town |
| 1986-87 | Sudbury Town |
| 1987-88 | March Town United |
The league expanded to two divisions in 1988.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One |
|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | Sudbury Town | Wroxham |
| 1989-90 | Sudbury Town | Cornard United |
| 1990-91 | Wisbech Town | Norwich United |
| 1991-92 | Wroxham | Diss Town |
| 1992-93 | Wroxham | Sudbury Wanderers |
| 1993-94 | Wroxham | Hadleigh United |
| 1994-95 | Halstead Town | Clacton Town |
| 1995-96 | Halstead Town | Gorleston |
| 1996-97 | Wroxham | Ely City |
| 1997-98 | Wroxham | Ipswich Wanderers |
| 1998-99 | Wroxham | Clacton Town |
| 1999-00 | Histon | Tiptree United |
| 2000-01 | AFC Sudbury | Swaffham Town |
| 2001-02 | AFC Sudbury | Norwich United |
| 2002-03 | AFC Sudbury | Halstead Town |
| 2003-04 | AFC Sudbury | Cambridge City reserves |
| 2004-05 | AFC Sudbury | Ipswich Wanderers |
| 2005-06 | Lowestoft Town | Stanway Rovers |
| 2006-07 | Wroxham | Walsham-le-Willows |
| 2007-08 | Soham Town Rangers | Tiptree United |
| 2008-09 | Lowestoft Town | Newmarket Town |
| 2009-10 | Needham Market | Great Yarmouth Town |
| 2010-11 | Leiston | Gorleston |
| 2011-12 | Wroxham | Godmanchester Rovers |
| 2012-13 | Dereham Town | Cambridge University Press |
| 2013-14 | Hadleigh United | Whitton United |
| 2014-15 | Norwich United | Long Melford |
| 2015-16 | Norwich United | Wivenhoe Town |
| 2016-17 | Mildenhall Town | Stowmarket Town |
| 2017-18 | Coggeshall Town | Woodbridge Town |
Division One was split North/South in 2018.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One North | Division One South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Histon | Swaffham Town | Hashtag United |
| 2019-20 | Season declared null and void | ||
| 2020-21 | Season declared null and void | ||
The F.C.H.D. has the complete final table information for this league. Tables for 1935-1985 were originally taken from the history book of Lowestoft Town. Tables from 1978 to 1985 were then checked against tables published in the BNLF and Non-League Directories. Tables since 1985 were originally compiled from contemporary sources. A number of the tables held within the FCHD still contain errors, mainly among the goals for/against totals not balancing.
We're not aware of the full set of tables being published recently in book form.
Please acknowledge the F.C.H.D. when using this information elsewhere