Southern Counties East League Premier Division

Originally founded in 1963 to replace the Kent Premier League, to replace the Kent League, this was then rebranded in 2013 as the Southern Counties East League (SCEL) Premier Division, following a restructure to better reflect that its membership had expanded beyond East Sussex, with this sitting at Step 5 on the football pyramid

In 2016, the league grew and merged to absorb the Kent Invicta League, with this serving as the Southern Counties East League Division One (Step 6).

Winners and runners-up of the Premier Division are promoted to Step 4 which is usually the Isthmian League South East, with relegated clubs dropping down to Division One.

The original Kent League dates back to 1894 and as such, has a long history with a number of events taking place that had a considerable effect on proceedings. Indeed, global conflict was one of the main disruptions.

While whole teams were largely ripped apart during World War 1, essentially halting the league, World War II essentially stopped proceedings. Because Kent was effectively considered to be the main “front line”, especially for the Battle of Britain and for a potential German invasion, there was very little football happening.

Most football grounds were repurposed between 1939 and 1945 for military use or turned into allotments as part of the “Dig For Victory” campaign. The few matches that were played in Kent were often composed entirely of military teams including the 12th Infantry Training Corps and the Royal Navy Depot (Chatham).

Following the end of the war, fans flocked to “reconstruction” matches, celebrating the return of “normalcy”.

Alumni And Interesting Trivia

The league has also played home to a number of success stories over the decades, several clubs having used it as a springboard to higher achievements including Dartford, Maidstone United and Cray Wanderers.

One of the league’s most famous exports, meanwhile, is Alfie May who moved to Birmingham City, having previously played for Erith & Belvedere as well as Hythe Town prior to his professional breakthrough.

In addition, the Sudan international and former Peterborough United striker, Mohamed Eisa, played in the SCEL for Greenwich Borough, scoring 57 goals in a single season before being professionally scouted.

Arguably the league’s most well-known player in recent times is striker Kevin Lisbie who played for Charlton Athletic, among many other clubs and finished his career with Cray Valley Paper Mills, which underlined the league’s ability to attract veteran professionals.

The league has also proven to be somewhat of a powerhouse in the FA Vase Trophy, having had numerous clubs turn out at Wembley over the years. In 2000, Deal Town won the trophy, while in 2019 Cray Valley PM reached the final.

Meanwhile, in the 2010/11 season, Hythe Town reached the FA Cup First Round Proper as a part of the SCEL; a rare achievement for a Step 5 club.