Hellenic League Premier Division
The Hellenic Football League forms part of Steps 5 and 6 of the National League System and tiers nine and 10 of the overall English football pyramid. The league features two separate divisions, the Premier Division and Division One and is a feeder league for the Southern League.
Clubs from areas such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Herefordshire, southern Warwickshire, northern Wiltshire and southern Worcestershire ply their trade within the two leagues.
Until the 2020/21 season, teams from Berkshire, southern Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, and Surrey also played in the leagues. However, that is no longer the case at the time of writing.
The history of the league
The Hellenic Football League was formed in 1953. Ahead of the 2000/2001 season, the league absorbed the Chiltonian League, which contributed to Division One being regionalised into East and West. However, in 2021, the two regionalised leagues merged once again.
The Premier Division is the top tier of the Hellenic League, which includes Division One, Division Two East, Division Two West, Division Two North, and Division Two South.
When non-league football was restructured ahead of season 2004/05, the Premier Division became part of Step 5 of the National League system and the ninth tier in the English football pyramid.
Promotion and relegation
The Premier Division consists of 20 teams, all battling it out to win promotion to the next step of the English football pyramid. Only the team that finishes top after 38 league games earns automatic promotion.
The teams that are promoted from the Premier Division are rewarded with a place in the Southern League Division One Central or South for the following season. Which leagues the champions end up in depends on the availability of places in each league. If they do not meet the requirements, then they are likely to be denied entry.
The promotion also depends on whether the team going up meets the minimum grounds requirements of the Step 4 league they will be playing in.
A second promotion place to Step 4 is available via the play-offs, which features the teams that finished between second and fifth place in the table in the regular 38-game campaign.
The four teams face off in the semi-finals, with the two winning semi-finalists qualifying for the final. The winners of the final earn the second promotion spot to Step 4.
At the other end of the table, the teams that finish 19th and 20th place in the table are relegated to Division One. However, some may win a reprieve for teams who finish in the bottom two spots if the teams coming up don’t meet the ground requirements for the league.
Past Winners
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | Worcester City |
| 2022/23 | Cribbs |
| 2021/22 | Bishop’s Cleeve |
| 2020/21 | Season abandoned (coronavirus pandemic) |
| 2019/20 | Competition abandoned (coronavirus pandemic) |
| 2018/19 | Wantage Town |
| 2017/18 | Thatcham Town |
| 2016/17 | Thame United |
| 2015/16 | Kidlington |
| 2014/15 | Flackwell Heath |
Some future EFL clubs have been featured in the Hellenic Premier Division, including Forest Green and Newport County.
One of the most successful clubs in recent decades in the Premier Division has been Wantage Town, who have earned promotion to Step 4 on three occasions since season 2010/11. Unfortunately, they have struggled to maintain their place in Step 4 and now, in fact, sit in Division One.
In the past, Witney Town won the title in three consecutive seasons from 1970 until 1973. Unfortunately for Town, they now sit in one of the county leagues, which are feeder leagues to the Hellenic League.
North Leigh also enjoyed a strong run in the Premier Division, as they won the title on three occasions from 2000 until 2008. Unlike the other two teams, North Leigh now resides in a higher tier, as they are currently plying their trade in the Southern League Division One Central.