Anglian Combination Premier Division
The Anglian Combination Premier Division is a feeder league (formerly Step 7) of the National League System and the 11th level of the English football pyramid overall. It is currently known as the Fosters Solicitors Anglian Combination and is based in East Anglia.
The league includes clubs from Norfolk and Northern Suffolk. Clubs must be within 50 miles of Norwich city centre.
The Premier Division is the top tier of the league, which contains seven divisions overall featuring a total of 96 clubs.
The history of the Anglian Combination League
The Anglian Combination League as a whole came to be in 1964 after the East Anglian League and the Norfolk & Suffolk League merged. The latter had its origins all the way back to 1897.
After a transitional campaign in season 1964/65, the league began properly in season 1965/66 with a regular format involving four senior divisions and a further three reserve divisions. The league was expanded the following season with an extra senior division.
The structure of the league remained largely the same until the 2003/04 campaign, when the previously separate reserves were incorporated into the main league structure.
How does promotion and relegation work in the Anglian Combination Premier Division?
.jpg){kind=link}
The Anglian Combination is a feeder division for the Eastern Counties League, with promoted teams earning promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division One.
One team earns an automatic promotion to Division One. The top eligible team that finishes in the league’s top five plays in the higher division. However, that’s only if they meet the higher division’s requirements. If none of the top five teams are eligible, no team is promoted.
At the other end of the spectrum, relegation is decided by the individual Leagues and County FAs.
Recent successful teams in the Premier Division
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Acle United |
| 2015/16 | Acle United |
| 2016/17 | Spixworth |
| 2017/18 | Harleston Town |
| 2018/19 | Sheringham |
| 2019/20 | Void due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020/21 | Void due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021/22 | Heacham |
| 2022/23 | Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers |
| 2023/24 | Gorleston Reserves |
Who have been the most successful teams in the Anglian Combination Premier Division?
Several clubs have been highly successful in the Premier Division. However, the most successful club in the history of the division is Blofield United, who has won the title six times, with the first being in 1991 and the most recent being 2010.
Not far behind United is Wroxham, who have claimed the Premier Division title on five occasions. All their titles came in a successful period from 1982 until 1988.
City of Norwich School Old Boys Union (CNSOBU) also won five top-tier titles, including winning the title in the league’s inaugural campaign in 1965. However, their last title triumph came back in the 1974/75 season.