The Kent League was a football league which existed from 1894 until 1959, based in the English county of Kent. Another, unrelated, Kent League was formed in 1966, and is now known as the Southern Counties East Football League.

History

The League was formed by the Kent County Football Association in February 1894.[1] The initial proposal for a twelve-team league was subsequently changed to a nine-team Division I with the addition of a similar-sized Division II[2] with promotion and relegation decided by a play-off between each of the lowest two teams of Division I against one of the two top teams of Division II.[3] For the first three years of the competition the champions of Division I were awarded the Kent County Challenge Cup, which had hitherto been presented to the Kent County FA knock-out tournament (Kent Cup) winner. The Division II champions were awarded a new trophy, the Kent County Challenge Shield.[2] From 1897, after the Kent County Challenge Cup was allocated back as a winner's trophy for the knock-out tournament (now the Kent Senior Cup), the Shield was used as the trophy for the Division I champions.[4]

The nine clubs who formed the inaugural Division I for the 1894–95 season were Chatham, Sheppey United, Dartford, Gravesend United, Sittingbourne, Ashford United, Folkestone, Maidstone United, and The Training Battalion of the Royal Engineers. The latter two replaced Royal Ordnance Factories, who withdrew,[5] and New Brompton who withdrew having adopted professionalism.[6]

Division II also commenced with nine teams: Sevenoaks, Dover, Faversham, Swanscombe, Cray Wanderers, Folkestone Harveians, Chatham Reserves, Sheppey United Reserves, and Sittingbourne Reserves. The latter two replaced Bromley and Rochester Defiance who had been originally selected.[5]

For the second season, after the league voted in January 1895 to allow professionalism,[7] Division I expanded to twelve teams with the addition of New Brompton (who used it as a supplementary league while also competing in the Southern League), Woolwich Arsenal Reserves and Northfleet. Before the start of the following, 1896–97, season eight teams left the league (primarily to the Southern League)[8] and by the commencement of the 1897–98 season the league had only 15 members across its two divisions, leading to the amalgamation of the divisions into a single Division I for the following season.[9] There were further reductions in members and by 1910 there were only nine members of the single Division I (five of whom left at the end of the season).[8]

The league was reconstructed for the 1910–11 season under the auspices of the KCFA[10] (they had relinquished their role on the management committee a decade previously[11]) and both an East and a West Regional based Division II were added, drawing their members from the top clubs of the East Kent and West Kent Leagues. Total league strength was 32 teams, 12 in Division I, with the Division II East and West Section leagues having 11 and 9 members respectively.[9] As part of the reconstruction reserve teams of Kent and South London clubs of the Southern League were invited to enter the Kent League and as a consequence of these stronger teams being introduced, between 1911 and 1914, the Division I championship was won by two of these teams – Millwall Reserves on 3 successive occasions and then Crystal Palace Reserves.[12]

In March 1923 informal discussions took place concerning a knock-out Kent League Cup competition for the Division I teams.[13] This came to fruition and in the 1923–24 season the matches were played with Northfleet United being the first winners of the competition.

Apart from a five-season hiatus owing to World War I the league structure remained broadly in the configuration of a single Division I and two regional Division II groupings until 1928 (albeit with a churn of teams). There were two minor variations, firstly in 1923 the Division II Western Section became part of the Kent County Amateur League and a new Mid-Kent Section (effectively replacing the Western Section) was added at Division II level;[14] secondly the Division II Eastern Section having mustered only three teams in 1923–24 was suspended for three seasons before being reintroduced. For the 1927–28 season the league comprised 26 clubs, 14 in Division I with just 3 in the East Section and 9 in the Mid-Kent Section of Division II.[9]

With the lack of teams at the Division II level a single Division II was introduced in 1928.[9] The league continued in this format until its demise in 1959 apart from: two seasons between 1935 and 1937 when Division II was temporarily discontinued in preference to it being part of the Kent County Amateur League,[15] after which it was reinstated;[16] and additionally when Division II was suspended owing to World War II for an extended seven season period (compared to five for Division I).

In April 1958 Folkestone Town and Dover, two of the larger teams, indicated their intention to leave the Kent League and join the expanding Southern League,[17] and Bexleyheath & Welling and Tunbridge Wells United did the same shortly afterwards. Although, owing to contractual arrangements, these teams had to play in the Kent League for the 1958–1959 season in the interim the number of rebel teams expanded to eight with the addition of Ashford Town, Margate, Ramsgate Athletic and Sittingbourne.[18] As a consequence in December 1958 the Kent County FA stated they were unwilling to continue with the Kent League and decided to disband it after 65 years of existence at the end of the season.[19]

On the disbanding of the league there were 18 teams in both Division I and Division II.[9] Of the Division I clubs, the eight want-away teams (who were mostly the top teams in the final Kent League table) joined the Southern League Division 1; seven teams joined a newly instigated league, the Aetolian League (these were Snowdown Colliery Welfare, Herne Bay, Chatham Town, Faversham Town, Sheppey United, Whitstable, and Deal Town; of the remaining three, Canterbury City joined the Metropolitan League, Betteshanger Colliery Welfare joined the Seanglian League (a lower division of the Aetolian League were some of the ex-Kent League clubs reserves teams from Division II had migrated) and Gillingham Reserves entered the Football Combination.

Later Kent League

It was seven years until a new Kent League competition appeared. In the 1966–67 season the Kent Premier League was formed, derived from the Thames & Medway Combination.[20] The word 'Premier' was dropped the following season. The new league did not attract back the teams from the Southern League but was taken up by some of the clubs that had formed the Aetolian and Seanglian Leagues. In 2013 this new Kent League was renamed as the Southern Counties East Football League and its top division is at level 9 of the football pyramid.

Champions

The Champions of the league's Divisions[9] and League Cup winners were as follows:

SeasonDivision IDivision IILeague Cup
East SectionWest / Mid-Kent Section †
1894–95ChathamSingle Division II:  Swanscombe
–
1895–96NorthfleetSingle Division II:  Faversham
–
1896–97Woolwich Arsenal Res.Single Division II:  New Brompton Reserves
–
1897–98SwanscombeSingle Division II:  Sittingbourne Reserves
–
1898–99Maidstone United
–
–
1899–1900Maidstone United
–
–
1900–01Maidstone United
–
–
1901–02Cray Wanderers
–
–
1902–03Sittingbourne
–
–
1903–04Chatham
–
–
1904–05Chatham
–
–
1905–06Sheppey United
–
–
1906–07Sheppey United
–
–
1907–08Northfleet United
–
–
1908–09Northfleet United
–
–
1909–10Northfleet United2nd Royal Irish RiflesOrpington
–
1910–11Millwall Reserves1st North Staffordshire RegimentArmy Service Corps (Grove Park)
–
1911–12Millwall ReservesAshford Railway WorksArmy Service Corps (Grove Park)
–
1912–13Millwall ReservesAshford Railway Works2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers
–
1913–14Crystal Palace Res.Ashford Railway WorksStrood
–
1914–1919  Competition suspended for five seasons owing to World War I
1919–20Northfleet UnitedAshford Railway WorksDepot Battalion Royal Engineers (Chatham)
–
1920–21Charlton Athletic Res.Depot Machine Gun Corps (Folkestone)Maidstone United Res.
–
1921–22Maidstone UnitedDover UnitedMaidstone United Res.
–
1922–23Maidstone UnitedDover UnitedMaidstone United Res.
–
1923–24Charlton Athletic 'A'Dover UnitedChatham ReservesNorthfleet United
1924–25Chatham
–
1st Royal WarwickshireDartford
1925–26Northfleet United
–
Minster UnitedSittingbourne
1926–27Chatham
–
Chatham Reserves / RAF Eastchurch ‡Royal Naval Depot (Chatham)
1927–28Sheppey UnitedAshford Railway WorksWhitstableSittingbourne Paper Mills
1928–29Bexleyheath TownSingle Division II:  RAF EastchurchFolkestone
1929–30Gillingham ReservesSingle Division II:  Aylesford Paper MillsFolkestone
1930–31Tunbridge Wells RangersSingle Division II:  Aylesford Paper MillsGillingham Reserves
1931–32Northfleet UnitedSingle Division II:  Aylesford Paper MillsNorthfleet United
1932–33MargateSingle Division II:  Sheppey United ReservesTunbridge Wells Rangers
1933–34London Paper MillsSingle Division II:  WhitstableTunbridge Wells Rangers
1934–35Northfleet UnitedSingle Division II:  ChathamNorthfleet United
1935–36Northfleet United
–
Margate
1936–37Northfleet United
–
Northfleet United
1937–38MargateSingle Division II:  Margate ReservesNorthfleet United
1938–39Northfleet UnitedSingle Division II:  DoverAshford
1939–1944  Competition suspended for five seasons owing to World War II
1944–45Gillingham[21]
–
Snowdown Colliery Welfare
1945–46Gillingham
–
Gillingham
1946–47MargateSingle Division II:  Aylesford Paper MillsFolkestone Town
1947–48MargateSingle Division II:  Folkestone Town ReservesMargate
1948–49AshfordSingle Division II:  Folkestone Town ReservesRamsgate Athletic
1949–50Ramsgate AthleticSingle Division II:  WhitstableCanterbury City
1950–51Folkestone TownSingle Division II:  Folkestone Town ReservesSnowdown Colliery Welfare
1951–52DoverSingle Division II:  Dover ReservesFolkestone Town
1952–53Folkestone TownSingle Division II:  Ashford Town ReservesTunbridge Wells United
1953–54Deal TownSingle Division II:  Margate ReservesMargate
1954–55Snowdown Colliery WelfareSingle Division II:  Herne BayTunbridge Wells United
1955–56Ramsgate AthleticSingle Division II:  Ashford Town ReservesGillingham Reserves
1956–57Ramsgate AthleticSingle Division II:  Margate ReservesDover
1957–58SittingbourneSingle Division II:  Folkestone Town ReservesDeal Town
1958–59SittingbourneSingle Division II:  Gravesend & Northfleet Res.Sittingbourne
 KEY:   † = Mid-Kent Section between 1923–24 and 1927–28;   ‡ = Joint Champions;   – = Not Contested

Member clubs

During the league's history, member clubs included:[9][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Proposed Kent League". Kentish Mercury. Greenwich. 23 February 1894. p. 2.
  2. 1 2 "Kent Football Association". Sheerness Times Guardian. Sheerness. 3 March 1894. p. 4.
  3. ↑ "Kent County Football Association". Kentish Mercury. Greenwich. 30 March 1894. p. 2.
  4. ↑ "Kent County Football Association". The Sporting Life. London. 22 February 1897. p. 6.
  5. 1 2 "Football Notes And News". Tonbridge Free Press. Tonbridge. 28 April 1894. p. 5.
  6. ↑ "Kent Football League". Sheerness Times Guardian. Sheerness. 14 July 1894. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "Legalization of Professionalism". East Kent Gazette. Sittingbourne. 12 January 1895. p. 6.
  8. 1 2 3 "England - Kent League". Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Original Kent League". Non-League Matters. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Northfleet: United Football Club". Gravesend Reporter, North Kent and South Essex Advertiser. Milton-next-Gravesend. 29 May 1909. p. 8.
  11. ↑ "Kent County Association". Tonbridge Free Press. Tonbridge. 27 May 1899. p. 5.
  12. ↑ "England - Lower Level Leagues - Lists of Champions". Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "Football (column 5)". Kentish Express. Ashford. 10 March 1923. p. 10.
  14. ↑ "Kent League (Mid-Kent Section)". Sheerness Times Guardian. Sheerness. 30 August 1923. p. 5.
  15. ↑ "Kent County Football Association". Kent & Sussex Courier. Tunbridge Wells. 21 June 1935. p. 17.
  16. ↑ "Football Notes". Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. Whitstable. 19 June 1937. p. 5.
  17. ↑ "The Kent League Survive?". Kentish Express. Ashford. 25 April 1958. p. 2.
  18. ↑ "Southern League's Plan Approved". East Kent Gazette. Sittingbourne. 14 November 1958. p. 10.
  19. ↑ "Kent League Folds Up". Tonbridge Free Press. Tonbridge. 5 December 1958. p. 9.
  20. ↑ "Name Change". Thanet Times. Margate. 2 August 1966. p. 14.
  21. ↑ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893–1984. Kent County Libraries. p. 54.
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