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Southern League

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Divisional Champions

 

The league was formed with two divisions.

Season Division One Division Two
1894-95 Millwall Athletic New Brompton
1895-96 Millwall Athletic Wolverton L & N W R
1896-97 Southampton St Mary's Dartford
 

In 1897, Division Two was split into London and South West sections

Season Division One Division Two London Division Two South West
1897-98 Southampton Thames Ironworks Cowes
 

After only one season, Division Two was re-united

Season Division One Division Two
1899-00 Tottenham Hotspur Watford
1900-01 Southampton Brentford
1901-02 Portsmouth Fulham
1902-03 Southampton Fulham
1903-04 Southampton Watford
1904-05 Bristol Rovers Fulham reserves
1905-06 Fulham Crystal Palace
1906-07 Fulham Southend United
1907-08 Queens Park Rangers Southend United
1908-09 Northampton Town Croydon Common
 

In 1909, Division Two was split into "A" and "B" Sections

Season Division One Division Two A Division Two B
1909-10 Brighton & Hove Albion Stoke Hastings & St Leonards
 

In 1910, Divisions Two A and B were merged back to a single Division Two

Season Division One Division Two
1910-11 Swindon Town Reading
1911-12 Queens Park Rangers Merthyr Town
1912-13 Plymouth Argyle Cardiff City
1913-14 Swindon Town Croydon Common
1914-15 Watford Stoke
1915-19 Comeptition suspended during World War I
1919-20 Portsmouth Mid Rhondda
 

In 1920, all the Division One Clubs joined the Football League. The remaining clubs were allocated into separate English and Welsh sections

Season English Section Welsh Section
1920-21 Brighton & Hove Albion reserves Barry
1921-22 Plymouth Argyle reserves Ebbw Vale
1922-23 Bristol City reserves Ebbw Vale
 

In 1923, the divisions were re-arranged into Eastern and Western sections

Season Eastern Section Western Section
1923-24 Peterborough & Fletton United Yeovil & Petters United
1924-25 Southampton reserves Swansea Town reserves
1925-26 Millwall reserves Plymouth Argyle reserves
1926-27 Brighton & Hove Albion reserves Torquay United
1927-28 Kettering Town Bristol City reserves
1928-29 Kettering Town Plymouth Argyle reserves
1929-30 Aldershot Town Bath City
1930-31 Dartford Exeter City reserves
1931-32 Dartford Yeovil & Petters United
1932-33 Norwich City reserves Bath City
 

In 1933, a third ("Central") section was added, mostly consisting of clubs already in the Eastern or Western Sections to give them extra comeptitive fixtures.

Season Eastern Section Western Section Central Section
1933-34 Norwich City reserves Plymouth Argyle reserves Plymouth Argyle reserves
1934-35 Norwich City reserves Yeovil & Petters United Folkestone
1935-36 Margate Plymouth Argyle reserves Margate
 

In 1936, the regional sections were merged, and a Mid-week section was added to give teams additional fixtures.

Season Main Section Midweek Section
1936-37 Ipswich Town Margate
1937-38 Guildford City Millwall reserves
1938-39 Colchester United Tunbridge Wells Rangers
 

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the league hurriedly arranged a 1939-40 season of small East and West Divisions. The League then went into abeyance for the duration of the War. The two Champions competed in a play-off, which was drawn and the two declared joint champions.

Season East Section West Section
1939-40 Chelmsford City Lovells Athletic
 

The League resumed in 1945-46 with a single division

Season Champions
1945-46 Chelmsford City
1946-47 Gillingham
1947-48 Merthyr Tydfil
1948-49 Gillingham
1949-50 Merthyr Tydfil
1950-51 Merthyr Tydfil
1951-52 Merthyr Tydfil
1952-53 Headington United
1953-54 Merthyr Tydfil
1954-55 Yeovil Town
1955-56 Guildford City
1956-57 Kettering Town
1957-58 Gravesend & Northfleet
 

In 1958, enough new clubs were added to split into two sections, initially split solely on a geographic basis

Season North West South East
1958-59 Hereford United Bedford Town
 

In 1959, the Divisions were re-organised to become a Premier Division and a Division One

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
1963-64 Yeovil Town Folkestone Town
1964-65 Weymouth Hereford United
1965-66 Weymouth Barnet
1966-67 Romford Dover
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 1971, Division One was split into North and South Sections

Season Premier Division Division One North Division One South
1971-72 Chelmsford City Kettering Town Waterlooville
1972-73 Kettering Town Grantham Town Maidstone United
1973-74 Dartford Stourbridge Wealdstone
1974-75 Wimbledon Bedford Town Gravesend & Northfleet
1975-76 Wimbledon Redditch United Minehead
1976-77 Wimbledon Worcester City Barnet
1977-78 Bath City Witney Town Margate
1978-79 Worcester City Grantham Dover
 

In 1979, with clubs leaving to form the Alliance Premier League, the Premier Division was dropped

Season Midland Division Southern Division
1979-80 Bridgend Town Dorchester Town
1980-81 Alvechurch Dartford
1981-82 Nuneaton Borough Wealdstone
 

In 1982, a Premier Division was re-introduced

Season Premier Division Midland Division Southern Division
1982-83 A P Leamington Cheltenham Town Fisher Athletic
1983-84 Dartford Willenhall Town R S Southampton
1984-85 Cheltenham Town Dudley Town Basingstoke Town
1985-86 Welling United Bromsgrove Rovers Cambridge City
1986-87 Fisher Athletic V S Rugby Dorchester Town
1987-88 Aylesbury United Merthyr Tydfil Dover Athletic
1988-89 Merthyr Tydfil Gloucester City Chelmsford City
1989-90 Dover Athletic Halesowen Town Bashley
1990-91 Farnborough Town Stourbridge Buckingham Town
1991-92 Bromsgrove Rovers Solihull Borough Hastings Town
1992-93 Dover Athletic Nuneaton Borough Sittingbourne
1993-94 Farnborough Town Rushden & Diamonds Gravesend & Northfleet
1994-95 Hednesford Town Newport A F C Salisbury City
1995-96 Rushden & Diamonds Nuneaton Borough Sittingbourne
1996-97 Gresley Rovers Tamworth Forest Green Rovers
1997-98 Forest Green Rovers Grantham Town Weymouth
1998-99 Nuneaton Borough Clevedon Town Havant & Waterlooville
 
In 1999, the lower divisions were restructured to run East/West
Season Premier Division Division One East Division One West
1999-00 Boston United Fisher Athletic London Stafford Rangers
2000-01 Margate Newport IOW Hinckley United
2001-02 Kettering Town Hastings Town Halesowen Town
2002-03 Tamworth Dorchester Town Merthyr Tydfil
2003-04 Crawley Town King's Lynn Redditch United
2004-05 Histon Fisher Athletic London Mangotsfield United
2005-06 Salisbury Boreham Wood Clevedon Town
 

In 2006, the lower divisions were renamed and the geographical boundaries amended

Season Premier Division Division One Midlands Division One South & West
2006-07 Bath City Brackley Town Bashley
2007-08 King's Lynn Evesham United Farnborough
2008-09 Corby Town Leamington Truro City
2009-10 Farnborough Bury Town Windsor & Eton
 

In 2010, Division One Midlands was renamed Division One Central

Season Premier Division Division One Central Division One South & West
2010-11 Truro City Arlesey Town A F C Totton
2011-12 Brackley Town St Neots Town Bideford
2012-13 Leamington Burnham Poole Town
2013-14 Hemel Hempstead Town Dunstable Town Cirencester Town
2014-15 Corby Town Kettering Town Merthyr Town
2015-16 Poole Town King's Langley Cinderford Town
2016-17 Chippenham Town Royston Town Hereford
 

The Division Ones were renamed in 2017

Season Premier Division Division One East Division One West
2017-18 Hereford Beaconsfield Town Taunton Town
 

In 2018, an extra Premier Division section was formed and the Division Ones were renamed again.

Season Premier Division Central Premier Division South Division One Central Division One South
2018-19 Kettering Town Weymouth Peterborough Sports Blackfield & Langley
 

The F.C.H.D. has the complete final table information for this league. Early tables were originally taken from an A.F.S. "Tables of..." publication of March 1986, and later checked against The Southern League History Book, BNLF and Non-League Directories. Tables since 1985 were originally compiled from contemporary sources. A full set of tables was most recently published in the book "Non-League Tables 2010" published by Soccer Books Limited

However, some of the tables do not balance.

 

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Please acknowledge the F.C.H.D. when using this information elsewhere