SCEFL History
The Southern Counties East Football League is an English football league for teams based in Kent and the South East, which was established in 1966. Until 2013 it was known as the Kent League.
The first Kent League was formed in 1894 and folded in 1959. Despite many of the same clubs having spells in membership, there is no direct connection between the two competitions.
The current incarnation of the league was formed in 1966 as the Kent Premier League (changing to Kent Football League in 1968), and in its early years many of its members were reserve sides of Southern League teams. Gradually, the reserve sides were all shifted down into the lower divisions.
In 2013 the league changed its name to the Southern Counties East League, to reflect the fact that not all of its member clubs played within the county of Kent.
At the end of the 2015–16 season, the league merged with the recently formed Kent Invicta League and the latter became the lower division of the merged league.
Therefore the Southern Counties East Football league now operates two Divisions. The Premier Division is at Step 5 of the Non -League Pyramid with the First Division at Step 6. The promoted teams from the Premier will enter the Isthmian League at Step 4 with relegated teams from the First Division likely to enter the Kent County League at Step 7.
Like was the case for most all of the leagues at our level, the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Seasons were both abandoned due to the Worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. The 2019-20 season was approximately 75% completed but was made null and void. The 2020-21 Season was only around 25% through and was curtailed.
The 2021/22 Season saw play-offs introduced at Step 6 from which the winning side were promoted from our First to Premier Division.
With further border changes we now go into the 2022/23 campaign with 38 teams, some with us for the first time.
Below is a list of Champions since the League was formed in 1966.
Year – Champions
1966–67 Margate Reserves
1967–68 Margate Reserves
1968–69 Brett Sports
1969–70 Faversham Town
1970–71 Faversham Town
1971–72 Chatham
1972–73 Sheppey United
1973–74 Chatham
1974–75 Sheppey United
1975–76 Sittingbourne
1976–77 Medway
1977–78 Faversham Town
1978–79 Sheppey United
1979–80 Chatham Town
1980–81 Cray Wanderers
1981–82 Erith & Belvedere
1982–83 Crockenhill
1983–84 Sittingbourne
1984–85 Tunbridge Wells
1985–86 Alma Swanley
1986–87 Greenwich Borough
1987–88 Greenwich Borough
1988–89 Hythe Town
1989–90 Faversham Town
1990–91 Sittingbourne
1991–92 Herne Bay
1992–93 Tonbridge
1993–94 Herne Bay
1994–95 Sheppey United
Year – Champions
1995–96 Furness
1996–97 Herne Bay
1997–98 Herne Bay
1998–99 Ramsgate
1999–2000 Deal Town
2000–01 Chatham Town
2001–02 Maidstone United
2002–03 Cray Wanderers
2003–04 Cray Wanderers
2004–05 Ramsgate
2005–06 Maidstone United
2006–07 Whitstable Town
2007–08 Thamesmead Town
2008–09 VCD Athletic
2009–10 Faversham Town
2010–11 Hythe Town
2011–12 Herne Bay
2012–13 Erith & Belvedere
2013–14 Whyteleafe
2014–15 Phoenix Sports
2015–16 Greenwich Borough
2016–17 Ashford United
2017–18 Sevenoaks Town
2018–19 Cray Valley Paper Mills
2019-20 Season Abandoned
2020-21 Season Abandoned
2021-22 Sheppey United
Below is a list of the Step 6 League winners from 2011 when the Kent Invicta League was formed then through its change into the SCEFL First Division in 2016.
Kent Invicta Football League
Season – Champions
2011–12 Bly Spartans
2012–13 Phoenix Sports
2013–14 Hollands & Blair
2014–15 Hollands & Blair
2015–16 Bearsted
SCEFL First Division
Season – Champions
2016-17 Glebe
2017-18 Punjab United
2018-19 Welling Town
2019-20 Season Abandoned
2020-21 Season Abandoned
2021-22 Stansfeld
Check out our Archives sections for more information about the League and from Non League football in the South East.
