Southern Counties East Football League

Last updated : Monday, 01 July 2024

Southern Counties East Football League

The Southern Counties East Football League (SCEFL) is an English football league established in 1966, which has teams based in Kent and Southeast London. Until 2013, it was known as the Kent League.

History

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 many of its member clubs no longer played within the county of Kent. At the end of the 2015–16 season, the league merged with the Kent Invicta League and the latter became the lower division of the merged league.

Structure

Southern Counties East Football League action

The SCEFL currently consists of two divisions: the Premier Division and Division One. The Premier Division is at Step 5 of the English football league system, while Division One is at Step 6. The top two teams in the Premier Division are promoted to the Isthmian League Division One North or South, while the bottom two teams in the Premier Division are relegated to Division One. The top four teams in Division One are promoted to the Premier Division, while the bottom two teams in Division One are relegated to the Kent League.

Domestic cups

The SCEFL also runs two domestic cups: the Southern Counties East League Cup and the Southern Counties East Challenge Cup. The League Cup is open to all teams in the Premier Division and Division One, while the Challenge Cup is open to all teams in the league.