Eastern Counties Football League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eastern Counties Football League |
|---|
 |
| Founded |
| 1935 |
| Nation |
 England |
| Feeder To |
| Southern League Division One Midlands or Isthmian League Division One North |
| Divisions |
| Premier Division (1935-present) Division One (1988-present) |
| Number of Teams |
| 41 22 (Premier Division) 19 (First Division) |
| Levels on Pyramid |
| Levels 9-10 |
| Cups |
| League Cup First Division Cup |
| Current Champions (2008-09) |
| Lowestoft Town (Premier Division) Newmarket Town (First Division) |
| Website |
| www.ridgeonsleague.co.uk |
The Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at Levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It contains teams from Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of either the Isthmian League or the Southern League, depending on geographical considerations.
Contents |
[edit] History
The league was founded in 1935, and ran as a single unit until a second division was created in 1988. The two division setup - the Premier Division and Division One - remains in place to this day. In 1976 the league changed its name to the Eastern League. The Eastern Counties League name was re-adopted in 1982.[1]
The league was among the first to be sponsored by an external company when, in the late 1970s, it was sponsored by local building societies Magnet and Planet, and Town and Country.[2] More recently it has been sponsored by building supplies company Jewson, and under the latest such deal is currently known as the Ridgeons Football League.
[edit] Current members
[edit] Champions
The champions of the league have been as follows:[1]
[edit] League Cup
[edit] Former clubs
Fifty-five clubs have previously played in the Eastern Counties League, including several reserve and 'A' teams. The league's geographical span has previously stretched from Gillingham in Kent to Boston in Lincolnshire, and in the 1950s contained up to four (reserve) teams from London.
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¹ Moved up to Isthmian/Southern League
² Resigned
³ Moved to different league at the same level
4 Replaced by first team
5 Merged to form a new club
6 Did not return to league after World War II
