The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half of Greater London, featuring a number of semi-professional clubs. It is sponsored by Cherry Red Records and is officially known as the Cherry Red Records Combined Counties Football League.
It was founded in 1922 as the Surrey Senior League and was renamed in 1978 to the Combined Counties League. Initially, the league was a single division, but it consists now of 63 teams in three divisions: Premier Division North, Premier Division South and Division One. The league also has a new Division Two of nine teams, many being reserve and development teams, six teams competing in an Under-23 Development Division, known as the John Bennett Development Division, and 20 Under-18 teams split across North and South divisions, known as the Tony Ford Under-18 Youth Divisions. These four divisions are outside the National League System.
The Premier Divisions North and South are two of sixteen recognised leagues to form the ninth level of the English football league system (known as Step 5 of the National League System), and Division One is one of seventeen recognised leagues at level 10 (known as Step 6 of the National League System). The Combined Counties Football League is a feeder to the Isthmian League and the Southern League.
History
The league was renamed on 18 June 1978 when the Surrey Senior League underwent a metamorphosis to try to attract clubs from outside the county. The expanded league was initially called the Home Counties League but there was an objection to the title from the Home Counties Conference, which forced the league to change its name.
The league had a verbal agreement with the Surrey County Football Association to revert to a similar title to the former league – the Surrey Senior Football League. However, this name was later rejected as the Surrey County Football Association intended to reform the Surrey Senior League at a later date. It was first suggested by the FA that the league should be called the Corinthian Football League, but this was frowned upon by the Athenian Football League within which the old Corinthian Football League had been incorporated. The alternative suggestion, the Combined Counties Football League, was approved for the 1979–80 season.
At the end of April 2023, the Combined Counties League announced the formation of the new Division Two (later renamed the Development Division (Saturday)), mostly for reserve teams and under-23 development sides of the league's member clubs, to which the FA granted sanction. It has currently not been granted a step on the football pyramid.
Promotion rules and cups
Its rules allow up to three teams to be promoted and relegated between either Premier division and Division One; promotion is dependent on the clubs finishing in the top three of Division One each having the correct ground-grading.
Division One is "fed" by the county leagues at level 11, the former Step 7 of the National League System, such as the Surrey Premier County Football League, the Middlesex County League and the Thames Valley Premier Football League.
The League organises three cups.
- The Premier Challenge Cup is competed for by the teams in all three divisions.
- The Division One Cup is competed for by teams exclusively in Division One.
- The Grant McLellan Youth Cup is competed for by current and ex-member clubs who have teams playing in the under-18 age group in other leagues.
The Southern Combination Challenge Cup has been labelled "a supplementary Combined Counties League Cup" and includes some clubs in the Isthmian League and other leagues.
Member teams 2025–26
Premier Division North
- Abingdon United
- Amersham Town
- Ardley United
- Ashford Town (Middlesex)
- British Airways
- Broadfields United
- Burnham
- Edgware & Kingsbury
- Harefield United
- Hilltop
- Holyport
- Kidlington
- Milton United
- North Greenford United
- North Leigh
- Reading City
- Virginia Water
- Wallingford & Crowmarsh
- Windsor & Eton
- Wokingham Town
Premier Division South
- Abbey Rangers
- Alton
- Badshot Lea
- Balham
- Camberley Town
- Chipstead
- Cobham
- Corinthian-Casuals
- Epsom & Ewell
- Eversley & California
- Fleet Town
- Guildford City
- Horley Town
- Knaphill
- Redhill
- Sheerwater
- Sutton Common Rovers
- Tadley Calleva
- Thatcham Town
- Tooting & Mitcham United
Division One
- Bedfont
- Berks County
- Brook House
- Chalfont St Peter
- Colliers Wood United
- FC Deportivo Galicia
- Hillingdon Borough
- Holmer Green
- Langley
- London Samurai Rovers
- Molesey
- Oxhey Jets
- Penn & Tylers Green
- PFC Victoria
- Rising Ballers Kensington
- Sandhurst Town
- Spartans Youth
- Spelthorne Sports
- Sport London e Benfica
- Staines & Lammas (Middlesex)
- Wembley
- Westside
- Windsor (resigned)
- Woodley United
Development Division (Saturday)
- CB Hounslow United & Abbots Reserves
- Eagles Land Cricklewood 2nd
- FAB (withdrawn)
- Indian Gymkhana Reserves (withdrawn)
- Langley U23
- London Rangers
- London Samurai Rovers Reserves
- Richmond & Kew U23
- Staines & Lammas (Middlesex) U23
- Streatham (withdrawn)
thumb|right|The area covered by the Combined Counties League is coloured in peach.
Sponsors
The league has had a succession of title sponsors. Cherry Red Records are the current League and Premier Challenge Cup sponsors and have been since 2005.
List of champions
For the 1978–79 season the league was known as the Home Counties League.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!Season
!Champions
|-
|1978–79
|British Aerospace (Weybridge)
|-
|1979–80
|Guildford & Worplesdon
|-
|1980–81
|Malden Town
|}
For the 1981–82 season the league expanded to two divisions.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!Season
!Western Division
!Eastern Division
!Championship Playoff
|-
|1981–82
|Ash United
|Malden Town
|Ash United won 3–0
|}
For the 1982–83 season the league reverted to a single division.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!Season
!Champions
|-
|1982–83
|Hartley Wintney
|-
|1983–84
|Godalming Town
|-
|1984–85
|Malden Vale
|-
|1985–86
|British Aerospace (Weybridge)
|-
|1986–87
|Ash United
|-
|1987–88
|British Aerospace (Weybridge)
|-
|1988–89
|British Aerospace (Weybridge)
|-
|1989–90
|Chipstead
|-
|1990–91
|Farnham Town
|-
|1991–92
|Farnham Town
|-
|1992–93
|Peppard
|-
|1993–94
|Peppard
|-
|1994–95
|Ashford Town (Middx)
|-
|1995–96
|Ashford Town (Middx)
|-
|1996–97
|Ashford Town (Middx)
|-
|1997–98
|Ashford Town (Middx)
|-
|1998–99
|Ash United
|-
|1999–00
|Ashford Town (Middx)
|-
|2000–01
|Cove
|-
|2001–02
|AFC Wallingford
|-
|2002–03
|Withdean 2000
|}
For the 2003–04 season Division One was added formed mainly of clubs from the Surrey County Senior League.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!Season
!Premier Division
!Division One
|-
|2003–04
|AFC Wimbledon
|AFC Guildford
|-
|2004–05
|Walton Casuals
|Coney Hall
|-
|2005–06
|Godalming Town
|Warlingham
|-
|2006–07
|Chipstead
|Farnham Town
|-
|2007–08
|Merstham
|Staines Lammas
|-
|2008–09
|Bedfont Green
|Staines Lammas
|-
|2009–10
|North Greenford United
|Mole Valley SCR
|-
|2010–11
|Guildford City
|Worcester Park
|-
|2011–12
|Guildford City
|Guernsey
|-
|2012–13
|Egham Town
|Frimley Green
|-
|2013–14
|South Park
|Spelthorne Sports
|-
|2014–15
|Molesey
|Farleigh Rovers
|-
|2015–16
|Hartley Wintney
|CB Hounslow United
|-
|2016–17
|Hartley Wintney
|Banstead Athletic
|-
|2017–18
|Westfield
|Worcester Park
|-
|2018–19
|Chertsey Town
|Sheerwater
|-
|2019–20
|colspan=2 rowspan=2|No champions. Season abandoned
|-
|2020–21
|}
For the 2021–22 season the Premier Division expanded to two divisions.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!Season
!Premier Division North
!Premier Division South
!Division One
|-
|2021–22
|Hanworth Villa
|Beckenham Town
|London Lions
|-
|2022–23
|Ascot United
|Raynes Park Vale
|Sandhurst Town
|-
|2023–24
|Flackwell Heath
|Farnham Town
|Amersham Town
|-
|2024–25
|Egham Town
|AFC Whyteleafe
|Windsor & Eton
|-
|2025–26
|Ashford Town (Middx)
|Cobham
|Penn & Tylers Green
|}
Notes and references
;Notes on location where name is not one town
;References
External links
- Official site
- Combined Counties League at the Football Club History Database
- Official Twitter site
- The FA Full-Time – League Page