The league was formed following a meeting at the Liverpool Street Hotel in London in March 1937. The five Essex clubs who were members of the recently established Eastern Counties League (including Chelmsford, whose president was also the president of the ECL) agreed to join and find other clubs from the county which were interested in joining,[1] One reason behind the move was the time and cost of travelling to coastal towns in Norfolk and Suffolk, who comprised most of the members of the ECL at the time. Despite hoping to attract teams from mid-Essex and the north-east edge of London, Dagenham Town of the London League were the only other club to join, and as the season was about to start in September, the president of Crittall Athletic admitted that the clubs had made a mistake by leaving the ECL.
The league began with six clubs, but Colchester Town went bust in December, resulting in their record being expunged (at the time they had played six matches, drawing one and losing five).[2] The league continued with the clubs playing each other four times each. At the end of the season Harwich & Parkeston (the champions), Clacton Town and Crittall Athletic returned to the ECL and Dagenham Town to the London League, whilst Chelmsford were transformed into Chelmsford City, who joined the Southern League.[3]
England