Southern Combination Football League Premier Division
Formerly known as the Sussex County Football League, the Southern Combination Football League is the top tier of one of England’s most historic regional football systems and sits at Step 5 of the National League System. It sits above the Southern Combination Football League Division One at Step 6.
Having been founded in 1920 in order to provide organised and structured competition for the best clubs in Sussex, this has for over a century operated under the Sussex banner, with many different towns represented, while for long periods, it was dominated by clubs including Worthing, Horsham and Southwick.
In 2015 though, the league underwent an overhaul and restructure, reforming as the Southern Combination Football League. This name change was a reflection of the league’s ever-expanding reach, as it transitioned from a ‘Sussex-only’ model to incorporating clubs from other counties, ensuring it remained competitive with the modern FA pyramid.
Long considered a breeding ground for talent and historic clubs that include Whitehawk FC and Horsham, both have used the league as a springboard to bigger things, while a notable player includes Billie Clarke, who made headlines in 2022 by transferring directly to English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion from Whitehawk. Meanwhile, Brighton player Solly March also came through the Sussex youth system.
What You Need To Know About The SCFL Premier
Many historians remember the league best due to it completely abandoning the football season during the 1962/63 ‘Big Freeze’ that swept across the country taking it by storm..
In its place, an emergency ‘group stage’ competition was introduced as a way of helping to keep clubs affloat, which was a testament to the league’s resilience.
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2015/16 | Horsham |
| 2016/17 | Shoreham |
| 2017/18 | Haywards Heath Town |
| 2018/19 | Chichester City |
| 2019/20 | Season Abandoned (COVID-19) |
| 2020/21 | Season Abandoned (COVID-19) |
| 2021/22 | Littlehampton Town |
| 2022/23 | Broadbridge Heath |
| 2023/24 | Steyning Town |
| 2024/25 | Hassocks |
In the 1940s and 1950s, it wasn’t uncommon for matches involving Brighton’s reserve side to attract thousands of fans to small village grounds such as Wick or Arundel which has helped to shape the league’s professional standards of the modern era.
Over the decades, the club has also had some notable sponsors, which have all had a great contribution to it being able to function and contribute towards the running costs.
Arguably, the most fondly remembered period was when the league was sponsored by a local brewery; a brand known to most people; Badger Ales who was affiliated with the league between 2004 and 2006.
The leagues in this region have had a strong connection to the FA Vase, though perhaps none more so will be remembered as much as Littlehampton Town who reached the final in the 2021/22 season, having stormed to the Premier Division title, only to be defeated by Newport Pagnall Town, with the club’s run capturing the imagination of the county. Meanwhile, the club’s title-deciding match against Bexhill United set an all-time attendance record for the league as 1,092 spectators turned out to watch.