Isthmian League Premier Division
The Isthmian League Premier Division is the top tier of the Isthmian League, a league system that covers Greater London, East and South East England.
Together with the top tiers of the Southern League and the Northern Premier League, they comprise Step 3 of the National League System and Level 7 of the overall English football league system. Most of the clubs in the Isthmian Premier Division are semi-professional.
The Premier Division is part of a four-division system, with three feeder leagues below it, and the entire system comprises 88 clubs in total.
More information on the League
The Isthmian League dates back to March 1905, when a group of amateur clubs, who had been facing each other on an informal basis, decided to form a league. Only clubs that were invited were permitted to take part in the competition.
By 1922, the Isthmian League had 14 clubs as members, with only a few new clubs admitted into the league over the next 50 years. Most new clubs only joined because member clubs left the league or folded.
Although staunchly amateur at its creation, the league’s stance on professionalism lessened slightly in the 1970s, when the English FA abolished the long-standing distinction between amateur and professional status.
In 1985, for the first time, the Isthmian Premier League champions earned direct promotion to the newly rebranded Football Conference. The top tier of the Isthmian League had been renamed the Premier Division from Division One for the 1977/78 season.
That season, the league expanded to three leagues, having previously featured just two. It eventually evolved into the four-division system currently used.
The Isthmian Premier Division is a feeder league for the National League South. Clubs that finish as champions and are eligible for promotion are promoted to the National League South. Clubs have also been promoted to the National League North in the circumstance that the South Division has too many teams.
Their promotion to Step 2 of the National League System depends on their stadium meeting the requirements of the higher division. This has proven to be problematic for several clubs over the years. A second promotion position is also available via the play-offs, which sees clubs that finish from second to fifth place in the league compete for the second promotion spot.
The winners of the four-team play-offs must also meet the stadium requirements of Step 2 of the NAS to earn admission into the division.
When it comes to relegation, the teams that finish in the bottom four of the division are relegated to any of the following:
- The Combined Counties League North or South
- Eastern Counties League
- Essex Senior League
- Southern Combination League
- Southern Counties East League
- Spartan South Midlands League
- Wessex League
Top Clubs in the Isthmian League Premier Division
Many clubs have achieved significant success in the Isthmian League Premier Division, including some that have gone on to compete in the English Football League—clubs such as Leyton Orient, Wycombe Wanderers, Yeovil Town, Sutton United and Aldershot Town.
One of the early success stories of the newly renamed Premier Division was Enfield, which won the title in 1978 and 1980. They had also won the title in back-to-back seasons, 1975/76 and 1976/77, in the final two seasons that the division was known as Division One. Enfield were also champions in the 1994/95 season.
Sutton United have also enjoyed success in the division, winning the title in seasons 1984/85, 1985/86, 1998/99 and 2010/11. More recently, Worthing has been one of the teams to beat, as they finished top of the table in three consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2022.
However, there is a caveat to their success, as both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns were interrupted by the COVID pandemic. Not even the pandemic could take away their title triumph in the 2021/22 season. The campaign made history for the club, as it was officially the first time they had won the Premier Division title.
Recent Winners of the Premier Division
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2015/16 | Hampton and Richmond Borough |
| 2016/17 | Havant & Waterlooville |
| 2017/18 | Billericay Town |
| 2018/19 | Dorking Wanderers |
| 2019/20 | #Worthing |
| 2020/21 | *Worthing |
| 2021/22 | Worthing |
| 2022/23 | Bishop’s Stortford |
| 2023/24 | Hornchurch |
| 2024/25 | Horsham |
# The 2019–20 season ended on 26th March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The teams listed were top of the standings when the league ended, but were not recognised as official champions
* The 2020–21 season was also terminated on 24th February 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Once again, the teams listed are the ones that were top of the table when the league came to a premature end, but they are not considered official champions.