2025–26 Southern Counties East Football League
Football league season
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The 2025–26 Southern Counties East Football League season was the 60th in the history of the Southern Counties East Football League (known for sponsorship reasons for the second consecutive season as the Presence & Co. Southern Counties East League).[1] The league comprised two divisions, the Premier Division and the First Division, at levels 9 and 10 respectively of the English football league system (Step 5 and 6 respectively of the National League System).
Premier Division
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 19 |
| Champions | Whitstable Town |
| Promoted | Whitstable Town Punjab United |
| Relegated | Stansfeld Hythe Town |
| Matches | 342 |
| Goals | 1,186 (3.47 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | (24 goals) |
| Average attendance | 185[2] |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
Four clubs had left the division after the previous season:
- Faversham Town, promoted as champions to the Isthmian League South East Division
- Lordswood, relegated to the First Division
- Lydd Town, relegated to the First Division
- VCD Athletic, promoted as promotion play-off winners to the Isthmian League South East Division
The 2025–26 Premier Division club allocations from the FA Leagues Committee (subject to appeal) were announced on 15 May 2025[3] and was adopted at the league's AGM on 19 June 2025.[4] The division comprised nineteen clubs, sixteen had been members the previous season and they were joined by three additional clubs:
- Faversham Strike Force – Promoted as champions from the First Division
- Hythe Town – Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division
- Phoenix Sports – Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division.
Prior to the season Glebe were renamed Chislehurst Glebe.[5]
At the end of the season champions Whitstable Town and promotion play-off winners Punjab United (who had finished fifth in the division) were promoted to the Isthmian League South East Division. Both Hythe Town and Stansfeld were relegated to the First Division; for Hythe Town it was their second relegation in successive seasons.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitstable Town (C, P) | 36 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 87 | 37 | +50 | 87 | Promoted to the Isthmian League South East Division |
| 2 | Fisher | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 82 | 40 | +42 | 68 | Qualified for the play-offs |
| 3 | Rusthall | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 75 | 50 | +25 | 65 | |
| 4 | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 74 | 39 | +35 | 63 | |
| 5 | Punjab United (O, P) | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 74 | 55 | +19 | 63 | |
| 6 | Bearsted | 36 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 74 | 62 | +12 | 60 | |
| 7 | Hollands & Blair | 36 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 57 | |
| 8 | Phoenix Sports | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 73 | 55 | +18 | 53 | |
| 9 | Sutton Athletic | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 53 | |
| 10 | Tunbridge Wells | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 58 | 62 | −4 | 48 | |
| 11 | Erith & Belvedere | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 46 | |
| 12 | Snodland Town | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 61 | 73 | −12 | 45 | |
| 13 | Faversham Strike Force | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 72 | 74 | −2 | 41 | |
| 14 | Corinthian | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 63 | 84 | −21 | 41 | |
| 15 | Holmesdale | 36 | 12 | 5 | 19 | 55 | 86 | −31 | 41 | |
| 16 | Kennington | 36 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 51 | 66 | −15 | 40 | |
| 17 | Chislehurst Glebe | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 54 | 67 | −13 | 39 | |
| 18 | Stansfeld (R) | 36 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 39 | 77 | −38 | 21 | Relegated to the First Division[6] |
| 19 | Hythe Town (R) | 36 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 39 | 101 | −62 | 20 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results Table
Promotion Play-offs
The 2025–26 Premier Division promotion play-offs, contested by the clubs that finished second to fifth position in the league table, were won by Punjab United who had been fifth-placed in the division.
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Rusthall | 0 | (5 p) [a] | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers | 0 | (4 p) [a] | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Rusthall | 1 [b] | (3 p) [c] | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Punjab United | 1 [b] | (4 p) [c] | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Fisher | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Punjab United | 3 | |||||||||||||
Semifinals
| 28 April 2026 | Rusthall | 0–0 (5-4 p) | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers | Rusthall |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: The Jockey Farm Stadium, Nellington Road Attendance: 403 |
| 28 April 2026 | Fisher | 1–3 | Punjab United | Rotherhithe |
| 15:00 BST |
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Report |
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Stadium: St Paul's Sports Ground Attendance: 449 |
Final
| 4 May 2026 | Rusthall | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Punjab United | Rusthall |
| 15:00 BST |
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Report |
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Stadium: The Jockey Farm Stadium, Nellington Road Attendance: 1444 Referee: Alex Gordon |
| Penalties | ||||
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Stadia and locations
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Locations of the Premier Division clubs (Greater London)
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| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bearsted | Otham | Honey Lane | 1,000 |
| Chislehurst Glebe | Chislehurst | Foxbury Avenue | 1,200 |
| Corinthian | Longfield | Gay Dawn Farm | 2,000 |
| Erith & Belvedere | Welling | Park View Road (groundshare with Welling United) | 4,000 |
| Faversham Strike Force | Faversham | The Belmont Ground (groundshare with Whitstable Town) | 3,000 |
| Fisher | Rotherhithe | St Paul's Sports Ground | 2,500 |
| Hollands & Blair | Gillingham | Star Meadow | 1,000 |
| Holmesdale | Bromley | Oakley Road | |
| Hythe Town | Hythe | Reachfields Stadium | 3,000 |
| Kennington | Kennington | The Homelands (groundshare with Ashford United) | 3,200 |
| Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers | Larkfield | Larkfield & New Hythe Sports Club | 3,000 |
| Phoenix Sports | Barnehurst | Phoenix Sports Ground | 2,000 |
| Punjab United | Gravesend | Elite Venue | 600 |
| Rusthall | Rusthall | The Jockey Farm Stadium | 1,500 |
| Snodland Town | Snodland | Potyns Sports Ground | 1,000 |
| Stansfeld | Eltham | Badgers Sports Ground (groundshare with Cray Valley Paper Mills) | 1,550 |
| Sutton Athletic | Hextable | Lower Road | |
| Tunbridge Wells | Royal Tunbridge Wells | Culverden Stadium | 3,750 |
| Whitstable Town | Whitstable | The Belmont Ground | 3,000 |
First Division
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 18 |
| Champions | AFC Greenwich Borough |
| Promoted | AFC Greenwich Borough SE Dons |
| Relegated | Chessington & Hook United |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 1,040 (3.4 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | (34 goals) |
| Average attendance | 101[7] |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
Five clubs had left the division after the previous season:
- Canterbury City, took voluntary relegation to the Kent County League[8]
- Clapton Community, transferred laterally on appeal to next season's allocation back to the Eastern Counties League Division One South (from where they had been transferred the previous season)[9]
- Faversham Strike Force, promoted as champions to the Premier Division
- Soul Tower Hamlets, promotion play-off winners, moved laterally to the Essex Senior League
- Meridian VP, relegated to the Kent County League
The 2025–26 First Division club allocations from the FA Leagues Committee (subject to appeal) were announced on 15 May 2025.[3] Subsequently Clapton Community were successful in their appeal to be transferred laterally back to the Eastern Counties League Division One South (from where they had been transferred the previous season).[9][10] The revised constitution of the division was adopted at the league's AGM on 19 June 2025;[4] it comprised eighteen clubs, thirteen had been members the previous season and they were joined by five additional clubs:
- AFC Greenwich Borough, a new club[11]
- Banstead Athletic, transferred laterally from Southern Combination Division One
- Chessington & Hook United, transferred laterally from Southern Combination Division One
- Lordswood, relegated from the Premier Division
- Lydd Town, relegated from the Premier Division
At the end of the season champions AFC Greenwich Borough and promotion play-off winners SE Dons (who had finished second in the division) were promoted to the Premier Division. Only one club, Chessington & Hook United were relegated (to the Surrey Premier County League); both Lydd Town and, for a second successive season, Welling Town were reprieved from relegation,[12]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AFC Greenwich Borough (C, P) | 34 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 105 | 20 | +85 | 86 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | SE Dons (O, P) | 34 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 99 | 26 | +73 | 84 | Qualified for the play-offs |
| 3 | Rochester United | 34 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 68 | 36 | +32 | 66 | |
| 4 | Lordswood | 34 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 64 | |
| 5 | Croydon | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 61 | |
| 6 | Greenways | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 52 | |
| 7 | FC Elmstead | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 51 | |
| 8 | Staplehurst Monarchs | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 46 | |
| 9 | Sheppey Sports | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 66 | 74 | −8 | 44 | |
| 10 | Sporting Club Thamesmead | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 42 | |
| 11 | Halls Athletic | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 40 | |
| 12 | Bridon Ropes | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 47 | 71 | −24 | 39 | |
| 13 | Banstead Athletic | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 40 | 81 | −41 | 39 | |
| 14 | Tooting Bec | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 35 | |
| 15 | Lewisham Borough | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 34 | |
| 16 | Lydd Town | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 51 | 97 | −46 | 31 | Reprieved from relegation[13] |
| 17 | Welling Town | 34 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 32 | 83 | −51 | 21 | |
| 18 | Chessington & Hook United (R) | 34 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 44 | 96 | −52 | 21 | Relegated to the Surrey Premier County League Premier Division |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results Table
Promotion Play-offs
The 2025–26 First Division promotion play-offs, contested by the clubs that finished second to fifth position in the league table, were won by SE Dons who had been runners-up in the division.
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | SE Dons | 2 | |||||||
| 5 | Croydon | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | SE Dons | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Rochester United | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Rochester United | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Lordswood | 0 | |||||||
Semifinals
Final
Stadia and locations
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Greenwich Borough | Greenwich | Oakley Road (groundshare with Holmesdale) | |
| Banstead Athletic | Tadworth | Merland Rise | 1,500 |
| Bridon Ropes | Charlton | Meridian Sports & Social Club | |
| Chessington & Hook United | Chessington | Chalky Lane | 3,000 |
| Croydon | Croydon | Croydon Arena | 8,000 |
| FC Elmstead | Hextable | Lower Road (groundshare with Sutton Athletic) | |
| Greenways | Gravesend | Rochester United Sports Ground (groundshare with Rochester United) | 1,000 |
| Halls Athletic | Dartford | Princes Park (groundshare with Dartford) | 4,100 |
| Lewisham Borough | Catford | Ladywell Arena | |
| Lordswood | Lordswoood | Martyn Grove | 600 |
| Lydd Town | Lydd | The Lindsey Field | 1,000 |
| Rochester United | Strood | Rochester United Sports Ground | 1,000 |
| SE Dons | Chatham | The Bauvill Stadium (groundshare with Chatham Town) | 5,000 |
| Sheppey Sports | Isle of Sheppey | Holm Park (groundshare with Sheppey United) | 1,530 |
| Sporting Club Thamesmead | Thamesmead | Bayliss Avenue (groundshare with Erith Town) | 800 |
| Staplehurst Monarchs | Staplehurst | Jubilee Sports Ground | 1,000 |
| Tooting Bec | Tooting Bec | High Road (groundshare with Chipstead) | 2,000 |
| Welling Town | Welling | Erith Leisure Centre |
League Challenge Cup
The 2025–26 SCEFL Challenge Cup (known for sponsorship reasons as the Presence & Co. SCEFL Challenge Cup) was a knock-out competition contested by all 37 clubs from both the Premier and First divisions (indicated by '(PD)' and '(FD)' respectively in the results listings below). The final, played at Cray Wanderers F.C., was won by Rusthall who defeated Bearsted 4–0.[14]
First round
The first round was contested by ten teams over five ties with the remaining 27 teams receiving a bye to the next round.
| Tie | Home team (division) | Score | Away team (division) |
| 1 | Chislehurst Glebe (PD) | 3–4 | Erith & Belvedere (PD) |
| 2 | Faversham Strike Force (PD) | 4–2 | Sheppey Sports (FD) |
| 3 | Fisher (PD) | 4–0 | Bridon Ropes (FD) |
| 4 | Halls Athletic (FD) | 0–0 (4–3 p) | Sutton Athletic (PD) |
| 5 | Punjab United (PD) | 0–3 | Holmesdale (PD) |
Second round
The second round comprised sixteen ties featuring the 32 teams remaining in the competition.
| Tie | Home team (division) | Score | Away team (division) |
| 1 | AFC Greenwich Borough (FD) | 2–0 | Holmesdale (PD) |
| 2 | Banstead Athletic (FD) | 0–2 | Tunbridge Wells (PD) |
| 3 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) | 1–0 | Croydon (FD) |
| 4 | Corinthian (PD) | 3–3 (1–3 p) | Snodland Town (PD) |
| 5 | Faversham Strike Force (PD) | 2–1 | Rochester United (FD) |
| 6 | Fisher (PD) | 6–0 | Welling Town (FD) |
| 7 | Greenways (FD) | 0–2 | FC Elmstead (FD) |
| 8 | Halls Athletic (FD) | 0–2 | Stansfeld (PD) |
| 9 | Hollands & Blair (PD) | 3–0 | Lydd Town (FD) |
| 10 | Kennington (PD) | 2–3 | SE Dons (FD) |
| 11 | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers (PD) | 2–0 | Lordswood (FD) |
| 12 | Lewisham Borough (FD) | 1–1 (1–4 p) | Phoenix Sports (PD) |
| 13 | Sporting Club Thamesmead (FD) | 3–4 | Rusthall (PD) |
| 14 | Staplehurst Monarchs (FD) | 0–4 | Hythe Town (PD) |
| 15 | Tooting Bec (FD) | 0–3 | Erith & Belvedere (PD) |
| 16 | Whitstable Town (PD) | 2–3 | Bearsted (PD) |
Third round
The third round was contested by the 16 teams remaining in the competition: twelve from the Premier Division and four from the First Division.
| Tie | Home team (division) | Score | Away team (division) |
| 1 | Bearsted (PD) | 1–1 (4–2 p) | Hollands & Blair (PD) |
| 2 | Erith & Belvedere (PD) | 3–3 (2–4 p) | Tunbridge Wells (PD) |
| 3 | FC Elmstead (FD) | 0–2 | AFC Greenwich Borough (FD) |
| 4 | Hythe Town (PD) | 0–0 (9–8 p) | Snodland Town (PD) |
| 5 | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers (PD) | 2–2 (4–1 p) | Faversham Strike Force (PD) |
| 6 | Rusthall (PD) | 6–0 | Chessington & Hook United (FD) |
| 7 | SE Dons (FD) | 1–4 | Fisher (PD) |
| 8 | Stansfeld (PD) | 2–3 | Phoenix Sports (PD) |
Quarter-finals
The eight teams in the quarter-finals included seven from the Premier Division and one from the First Division.
| Tie | Home team (division) | Score | Away team (division) |
| 1 | AFC Greenwich Borough (FD) | 3–2 | Phoenix Sports (PD) |
| 2 | Bearsted (PD) | 3–2 | Hythe Town (PD) |
| 3 | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers (PD) | 3–1 | Fisher (PD) |
| 4 | Rusthall (PD) | 4–3 | Tunbridge Wells (PD) |
Semi-finals
Three Premier Division and one First Division clubs contested the semi-finals: two Premier Division clubs advanced to the final.
| Tie | Home team (division) | Score | Away team (division) |
| 1 | AFC Greenwich Borough (FD) | 3–4 | Bearsted (PD) |
| 2 | Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers (PD) | 1–2 | Rusthall (PD) |
Final
| 3 April 2026 | Bearsted (PD) | 0–4 | Rusthall (PD) | Chislehurst |
| 13:00 BST |
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Stadium: Cray Wanderers F.C. (Flamingo Park) Attendance: 735 Referee: Byron Beard |
source: "Presence & Co. SCEFL Challenge Cup: 2025–26". SCEFL. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
Division One Cup
The 2025–26 SCEFL Division One Cup was a supplementary knock-out competition for the eighteen clubs of the First Division. The final, played at Cray Wanderers F.C., was won by Tooting Bec who defeated Lordswood 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after the match finished 2–2 after 90 minutes.[15]
First round
Four clubs to compete in two first round ties, with byes for the other 14 clubs.
| Tie | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Lewisham Borough | 3–1 | AFC Greenwich Borough |
| 2 | Lordswood | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Lydd Town |
Second round
Sixteen clubs to compete in eight second round ties.
| Tie | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Banstead Athletic | 0–1 | Chessington & Hook United |
| 2 | Bridon Ropes | 2–0 | Welling Town |
| 3 | Croydon | 0–1 | Tooting Bec |
| 4 | FC Elmstead | 0–2 | Halls Athletic |
| 5 | Lewisham Borough | 2–1 | Sporting Club Thamesmead |
| 6 | Lordswood | 4–2 | SE Dons |
| 7 | Rochester United | 0–2 | Greenways |
| 8 | Sheppey Sports | 0–5 | Staplehurst Monarchs |
Quarter-finals
| Tie | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Chessington & Hook United | 0–1 | Lewisham Borough |
| 2 | Lordswood | 3–3 (4–3 p) | Halls Athletic |
| 3 | Staplehurst Monarchs | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Greenways |
| 4 | Tooting Bec | 3–0 | Bridon Ropes |
Semi-finals
| Tie | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 | Lewisham Borough | 1–2 | Tooting Bec |
| 2 | Lordswood | 2–0 | Staplehurst Monarchs |
Final
| 9 May 2026 | Lordswood | 2–2 (4–5 p) | Tooting Bec | Chislehurst |
| 13:00 BST |
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Report |
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Stadium: Cray Wanderers F.C. (Flamingo Park) Attendance: 432 Referee: Darren Kempson |
| Penalties | ||||
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source: "SCEFL Division One Cup: 2025–26". SCEFL. Retrieved 10 May 2026.