The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-eas ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, Hertfordshire,

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and south-eastern quarter of

Greater London Greater may refer to: * Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film * Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 * Greater Bank, an Austra ...

, featuring a number of professional clubs. It is sponsored by

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as we ...

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 59 teams in three divisions: Premier Division North, Premier Division South and Division One. The league also has six teams competing in an Under-23 Development Division, known as the John Bennett Development Division, and eighteen Under-18 teams split across North and South divisions, known as the Tony Ford Under-18 Youth Divisions. The Premier Divisions North and South are two of sixteen recognised leagues to form the ninth level of the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

(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 The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

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 was incorporated. The alternative suggestion, the Combined Counties Football League, was approved for the 1979–80 season. With increasing numbers for the 1981–82 season, the clubs were split into two equal divisions: the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The winners then met in a two-legged play-off final, with

Ash United Ash United Football Club is a football club based in Ash, Surrey, England. They are currently members of the and play at Shawfields Stadium. The club is affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association.Malden Town. The league reverted to a single division for the 1982–83 season. The league began with nine founder-member clubs and continued to steadily grow, resulting in the league becoming a feeder to the

in 1984 with 16–18 teams usually competing in the Combined Counties Football League. Southwick became the first team promoted to the Isthmian League from a feeder club in 1985, and

Chertsey Town Chertsey Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chertsey, Surrey, England. The club currently competes in the Isthmian League South Central Division. The home of Football The club was established as Chertsey Football ...

followed a year later. In 1987, the league announced a four-year sponsorship agreement with

Dan-Air Dan-Air (Dan Air Services Limited) was an airline based in the United Kingdom and a wholly owned subsidiary of London shipbroking firm Davies and Newman. It was started in 1953 with a single aircraft. Initially, it operated cargo and passen ...

worth a five figure sum. As part of the agreement, the league became known as the Dan-Air Football League and a representative team was introduced. The Dan-Air Class Elite Cup was also launched in 1989. The Dan-Air Youth League was formed for the 1991–92 season and opened to youth teams from all member clubs. However, the league attracted just seven clubs for the inaugural season and reluctantly abandoned the competition after one year. With the Dan-Air sponsorship coming to an end at the end of the season, the league agreed a sponsorship deal with Parasol Professional Portrait Photography and became known as the Parasol Combined Counties Football League. The League Challenge Cup became known as the Parasol Challenge Cup, and the Dan-Air Class Elite Cup was replaced by the Frazer Freight Vase with sponsorship from Frazer Freight International. Ahead of the 1997–98 season, the league received further sponsorship and subsequently became known as the Courage Combined Counties Football League. In 2002, the league reached a membership of 24 clubs – most notably with the addition of

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional football club, based in Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 season. The club's home stadium is Plough Lane. The cl ...

. The introduction of AFC Wimbledon proved invaluable for the league's other clubs. With crowds of up to 4,000 spectators for their home clubs, many clubs would break their attendance records when AFC Wimbledon visited their ground which could generate substantial matchday revenue. The club's first matches in the league also required large numbers of police to control crowds, including mounted police and patrolling helicopters. In 2002, the league began a three-year sponsorship agreement to become the Seagrave Haulage Combined Counties Football League, although Seagrave pulled out of the deal after one season. Following the National League System Conference in July 2002, the Combined Counties Football League and the Surrey County Senior League entered into discussions. This resulted in the two leagues merging for the 2003–04 season, forming a league with 40 clubs that would operate across the fourth and fifth steps of non-league football with a Premier Division and Division One. Another new sponsorship for the 2005–06 season, this time with

, saw the league become known as the Cherry Red Records Combined Counties Football League. In 2011, the league accepted the membership of newly-founded club Guernsey. The arrival of the team meant that clubs would fly or take a ferry over to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...

in order to fulfil their fixtures, with Guernsey covering the expenses as part of their membership. Backed by former

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

international Matt Le Tissier, who made a one-off appearance in the Combined Counties Football League in 2013, they won the Combined Counties Football League Division One and Combined Counties Premier Challenge Cup in their first season. In May 2018, Westfield and premier division runners up, Bedfont Sports, were promoted to the Bostik ( Isthmian) Football League due to The FA's decision to restructure steps 3 and 4 of the National League System. It was the first time that two teams had been promoted in one season. The 2019–20 season was abandoned as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic in England The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England are NHS England and Public ...

. The pandemic led to further disruptions in the 2020-21 season, with it starting in September, before being suspended in December and eventually curtailed in February 2021 by restrictions from

COVID-19 lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous count ...

. The FA later announced on 12 April that the Combined Counties League would administer a new Step 5 division from 2021–22 after another scheduled NLS restructuring had a one-season postponement due to the pandemic.

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 Elite Intermediate League The Surrey Premier County Football League is a regional English football league for teams in South-West London, Surrey and neighbouring areas. It was founded in 2008. The league is at the 11th level of the English football league system and was ...

, the

Middlesex County League The Middlesex County Football League is a football competition based in England loosely drawing teams from the central, northern and western parts of Greater London. The league was founded in 1984 and initially had only one division, although it ...

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

and other leagues.

Member teams 2022–23

Premier Division North

* Ascot United * Broadfields United *

Burnham Burnham may refer to: Places Canada *Burnham, Saskatchewan England *Burnham, Buckinghamshire ** Burnham railway station ** Burnham Grammar School *Burnham Green, Hertfordshire, location of The White Horse * Burnham, Lincolnshire **High Burnham, ...

Chalfont St Peter Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe ...

* Edgware & Kingsbury *

Egham Town Egham Town Football Club is a football club based in Egham, Surrey, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Runnymede Stadium. History The club was originally formed as Runnymede Rovers in 1877, before reforming as Egham i ...

* Flackwell Heath * Harefield United * Hilltop * Holyport * London Lions *

North Greenford United North Greenford United Football Club is a football club based in Greenford in the London Borough of Ealing, England. They play in the . The club is affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. History Established in 1944, original ...

* Oxhey Jets * Reading City * Spelthorne Sports * Virginia Water * Wallingford & Crowmarsh *

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

* Windsor * Wokingham & Emmbrook

Premier Division South

* Abbey Rangers * AFC Croydon Athletic * Alton * Badshot Lea *

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as ...

* Banstead Athletic *

Camberley Town Camberley Town Football Club is a semi-professional football based in Camberley, Surrey, England. They are currently members of the and play at Krooner Park. History The club was established in 1895 after a discussion at St Michael's church, ...

Cobham Cobham may refer to: Geography Towns or districts * Cobham, Kent, England * Cobham, Surrey, England * Cobham, South Australia, a former town in Australia * Cobham, Albemarle County, Virginia, United States * Cobham, Surry County, Virginia, U ...

* Colliers Wood United * Farnham Town *

Fleet Town Fleet Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Fleet, Hampshire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Calthorpe Park. History The club was established in 1890 under the name Fleet Football Club. ...

* Frimley Green * Guildford City * Horley Town * Jersey Bulls * Knaphill * Raynes Park Vale * Redhill * Sheerwater *

Tadley Calleva Tadley Calleva Football Club are a football club based in Tadley, Hampshire, England. The club is affiliated to the Hampshire Football Association. The club's name of Calleva comes from the nearby Roman Town of Calleva Atrebatum, based just o ...

Division One

AFC Aldermaston A.F.C. Aldermaston is a football club based in Aldermaston, Berkshire, England. Affiliated to the Berks & Bucks Football Association, the club are currently members of the and play at Waterside Park in Thatcham. The club motto, ''Facta Non ...

* AFC Hayes *

Bagshot Bagshot is a town in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. In the past, Bagshot served as an important staging post between London, Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in th ...

* Bedfont & Feltham * Berks County *

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

* CB Hounslow United *

Cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are of ...

* Eversley & California * FC Deportivo Galicia * Hillingdon Borough * Kensington & Ealing Borough * Langley * London Samurai Rovers *

Molesey Molesey is a district of two twin towns, East Molesey and West Molesey, in the Borough of Elmbridge, Surrey, England, and is situated on the south bank of the River Thames. East and West Molesey share a high street, and there is a second retai ...

* Penn & Tylers Green * Rayners Lane *

Sandhurst Town Sandhurst Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England. Formed in 1910, the club plays at their temporary home ground sharing with Bracknell Town. They play in the . History After the club's ...

* Spartans Youth * Westside * Woodley United

List of champions

''For the 1978–79 season the league was known as the Home Counties League.'' ''For the 1981–82 season the league expanded to two divisions.'' ''For the 1982–83 season the league reverted to a single division.'' ''For the 2003–04 season Division One was added formed mainly of clubs from the Surrey County Senior League.'' ''For the 2021–22 season the Premier Division expanded to two divisions.''

Notes and references

;Notes on location where name is not one town ;References

External links

Official siteOfficial Twitter siteThe FA Full-Time – League Page
{{Football in England table cells 1978 establishments in England 9 Sports leagues established in 1978