The 1996–97

Southern Football League The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...

season was the 94th in the history of the league, an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

competition. Gresley Rovers won the Premier Division. However, as their ground failed to meet the required standard, second-placed

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

were promoted to the

Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...

instead. Baldock Town, Chelmsford City and Newport were relegated to the Midland and Southern Divisions, whilst Sudbury Town (who had finished in thirteenth place) resigned from the league and dropped into the

Eastern Counties League The Eastern Counties Football League, currently known as the Thurlow Nunn League for sponsorship purposes, is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk ...

due to financial problems. Tamworth,

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

, Rothwell Town and St Leonards Stamcroft (in their first season in the Southern League) were promoted to the Premier Division, the former two as champions of their divisions. Meanwhile, Midland Division club Dudley Town resigned from the league at the end of the season and did not compete in any competitions the following season. Leicester United folded during the season, and Buckingham Town were relegated to the

United Counties League The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''GCE Hire Fleet Ltd. United Counties League'') is an England, English association football, football league covering an area including the English Counties of the United Kingdom, ...

Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs: *Two clubs promoted from the Midland Division: **

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

** Nuneaton Borough *Two clubs promoted from the Southern Division: ** Ashford Town (Kent) **

Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town in the Swale district of Kent, southeast England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. The town stands next to th ...

League table

Midland Division

The Midland Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs: *Three clubs relegated from the Premier Division: ** Ilkeston Town ** Stafford Rangers ** VS Rugby *Plus: ** Raunds Town, promoted from the

** Shepshed Dynamo, promoted from the Midland Alliance At the end of the season Hinckley Town merged with Midland Alliance club Hinckley Athletic to form Hinckley United.

League table

Southern Division

The Southern Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs: * Buckingham Town, transferred from the Midland Division * Cirencester Town, promoted from the Hellenic League *

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...

, promoted from the Kent League *Stamco, who also changed name to St. Leonards Stamcroft, promoted from the

Sussex County League The Southern Combination Football League (named Premier Sports Southern Combination Football League) is a football league broadly covering the counties of East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and South West London, England. The league consists of e ...

League table

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Southern Football League Southern Football League seasons 6

Premier Division

League table

Midland Division

League table

Southern Division

League table

See also

References