Hellenic League
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Hellenic League |
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Formed in 1953, the Hellenic League covers the M4 corridor and the Thames Valley. It currently has five divisions on three levels - Steps 5 and 6 of the National League System for the Premier Division and Division One East and West with the three Division Two sections, consisting mainly of reserve teams, outside the NLS.
The league was formed with 16 clubs, many of whom had previously been members of the Oxfordshire Senior League, but in subsequent years has included clubs from Gloucestershire through to West London. The league covers a relatively large catchment area, but it is sometimes accused of being ill-defined. No really large centres of population come under the Hellenic League remit (apart from the fringes of London), so clubs from small communities such as North Leigh have been able to flourish in the League
A major event in the league history was the merger with the Chiltonian League in 2000, with the former Chiltonian clubs forming a new Division One East. The original plan was to have the regional divisions named Cotswold and Chiltern in an effort to preserve something of the Chiltonian name, but this was revised to be a simple East and West split.
Hellenic League sides have been entering the F.A. Cup since the league's inception, but only Witney Town in 1971-72 have progressed through the Preliminary and Qualifying Rounds to make the First Round Proper
Three Hellenic League clubs competed in the FA Trophy - Chippenham Town (3 seasons), Hounslow and Banbury United (1 season each), but none of them managed to win a single game. Hellenic League clubs are more at home in the FA Vase. Forest Green Rovers in 1981-82 and Didcot Town in 2004-05 won the Vase while Hellenic League members, while Hungerford Town have made the Semi-Finals and Quarter Finals during their various spells in the league.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1953-54 | Didcot Town |
| 1954-55 | Witney Town |
| 1955-56 | Headington United reserves |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One |
|---|---|---|
| 1956-57 | Abingdon Town | Luton Town Colts |
| 1957-58 | Witney Town | Aylesbury Town Corinthians |
| 1958-59 | Abingdon Town | Thatcham |
| 1959-60 | Abingdon Town | Hazells (Aylesbury) |
| 1960-61 | Bicester Town | Chipping Norton Town |
| 1961-62 | Thame United | Botley United |
| 1962-63 | Yiewsley reserves | Amersham Town |
| 1963-64 | Amersham Town | Henley Town |
| 1964-65 | Witney Town | Thatcham |
| 1965-66 | Witney Town | Princes Risborough Town |
| 1966-67 | Witney Town | Pinehurst |
| 1967-68 | Hazells (Aylesbury) | Henley Town |
| 1968-69 | Wallingford Town | Oxford City reserves |
| 1969-70 | Thame United | Clanfield |
| 1970-71 | Witney Town | Hungerford Town |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One "A" | Division One "B" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-72 | Witney Town | Fairford Town | Chipping Norton Town |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-73 | Witney Town | Thatcham | Walcot |
| Season | Premier Division | Division One |
|---|---|---|
| 1973-74 | Moreton Town | Cirencester Town |
| 1974-75 | Thatcham Town | Maidenhead Town |
| 1975-76 | Burnham | Abingdon Town |
| 1976-77 | Moreton Town | Didcot Town |
| 1977-78 | Chipping Norton Town | Bicester Town |
| 1978-79 | Newbury Town | Northwood |
| 1979-80 | Bicester Town | Hazells (Aylesbury) |
| 1980-81 | Newbury Town | Wantage Town |
| 1981-82 | Forest Green Rovers | Lambourn Sports |
| 1982-83 | Moreton Town | Rayners Lane |
| 1983-84 | Almondsbury Greenway | Morris Motors |
| 1984-85 | Shortwood United | Pegasus Juniors |
| 1985-86 | Sharpness | Viking Sports |
| 1986-87 | Abingdon Town | Bishops Cleeve |
| 1987-88 | Yate Town | Cheltenham Town reserves |
| 1988-89 | Yate Town | Almondsbury Picksons |
| 1989-90 | Newport A F C | Carterton Town |
| 1990-91 | Milton United | Cinderford Town |
| 1991-92 | Shortwood United | Wollen Sports |
| 1992-93 | Wollen Sports | Tuffley Rovers |
| 1993-94 | Moreton Town | Carterton Town |
| 1994-95 | Cinderford Town | Endsleigh |
| 1995-96 | Cirencester Town | Purton |
| 1996-97 | Brackley Town | Ardley United |
| 1997-98 | Swindon Supermarine | Ardley United |
| 1998-99 | Burnham | Pegasus Juniors |
| 1999-00 | Banbury United | Cheltenham Saracens |
The Hellenic League merged with the Chiltonian League in 2000, enabling Division One to be split on an East/West basis
| Season | Premier Division | Division One East | Division One West |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Swindon Supermarine | Henley Town | Gloucester United |
| 2001-02 | North Leigh | Finchampstead | Hook Norton |
| 2002-03 | North Leigh | Quarry Nomads | Slimbridge |
| 2003-04 | Brackley Town | Wantage Town | Purton |
| 2004-05 | Highworth Town | Eton Wick | Shrivenham |
| 2005-06 | Didcot Town | Hounslow Borough | Winterbourne United |
| 2006-07 | Slimbridge | Bisley | Lydney Town |
| 2007-08 | North Leigh | Chalfont Wasps | Winterbourne United |
| 2008-09 | Hungerford Town | Binfield | Hardwicke |
| 2009-10 | Almondsbury Town | Thame United | Slimbridge |
| 2010-11 | Wantage Town | Holyport | Headington Amateurs |
The Reserve Divisions were renamed Divisions Two East and West in 2011.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One East | Division One West | Division Two East | Division Two West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | Oxford City Nomads | Newbury | Tytherington Rocks | Binfield reserves | Gloucester City Development |
| 2012-13 | Marlow | Rayners Lane | Brimscombe & Thrupp | Burnham reserves | Shortwood United reserves |
| 2013-14 | Wantage Town | Milton United | Tytherington Rocks | Binfield reserves | Cirencester Town Dev |
| 2014-15 | Flackwell Heath | Wokingham & Emmbrook | Longlevens | Stokenchurch | Oxford City Nomads Dev |
| 2015-16 | Kidlington | Penn & Tylers Green | Carterton | Penn & Tylers Green reserves | Oxford City Nomads Dev |
| 2016-17 | Thame United | Penn & Tylers Green | Fairford Town | Chalvey (WMC) Sports | Bourton Rovers |
| 2017-18 | Thatcham Town | Virginia Water | Ardley United | Chalvey Sports | Newent Town |
| 2018-19 | Wantage Town | Burnham | Easington Sports | Long Crendon | Moreton Rangers |
A third Division Two section was added in 2020
| Season | Premier Division | Division One East | Division One West | Division Two North | Division Two South | Division Two West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Season declared null and void | |||||
And a fourth Division Two section was added in one year later
| Season | Premier Division | Division One East | Division One West | Division Two East | Division Two North | Division Two South | Division Two West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Season declared null and void | ||||||
The F.C.H.D. has the complete final table information for this league. Tables for years to 1985 were originally sourced from an AFS "Tables Of" publication, those since were compiled from contemporary sources. All were also published by the Hellenic League in a 50th Annivesary book "50 Glorious Seasons" in 2003. Some tables up to 1987 still do not balance - mainly in goals for/against.
Please acknowledge the F.C.H.D. when using this information elsewhere